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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



GATHERING JEWELS. 



JAMES KNOWLES. 



THE LITTLE ORPHAN'S PRAYER. 



When only eight years old, and left an orphan, at her father's death, she went to the 
corner of the house and asked God to be a father and a mother to her.— Page 85. 



Gathering Jewels; 

or, 

The Secret of a Beautiful Life. 



IN MEMORIAM 

OF 

MR. & MRS. JAMES KNOWLES. 

i 

SELECTED FROM THEIR DIARIES. 



"They shall be Mine in that day when I come to make up My Jewels." 
EDITED BY - 

REV. DUX CAN McNEILL YOUNG. 



NEW YORK: 

WILLIAM K N O W L E S , 

104 EAST THIRTEENTH STREET. 

1887. ^SmSSE^ 



,K7 



COPYRIGHT, 1887. 

By WM. KNOWLES, 



THE LIBRARY 
{OB CONGRESS 

I WASHINGTON 



f 

Yd 

CP 

as. 

i 

PREFACE. 



The present volume is a purely pastoral attempt, emanating 
from a fraternal affection for two of God's honored saints, and 
an increasingly growing desire for the glory of God in the sal- 
vation of souls. 

In presenting the following pages to the friends, acquaint- 
ances, and co-laborers of our departed brother and sister I 
desire to record my appreciation of the good achieved by two 
whose example among us was as beneficial as that of the angel 
at the pool of Siloam, stirring up the sluggish waters to fresh 
life and utility, and teaching us that" 

Beyond this vale of tears 

There is a life above, 
Unmeasured by the flight of years ; 

And all that life is love. 

While a proper and very natural sentiment demands that the 
memoirs of the beloved ones should not appear until some 



vi 



Preface. 



time has passed away, it is also proper that their publication 
should not be put off till all trace of the facts recorded and 
the impressions there from made have been forgotten. During 
the preparation of these memoirs nothing has been more clearly 
manifest to me than the steady recurrence, throughout their 
lives, of a deep and earnest unison of feeling between man 
and wife, in such unfailing sweetness as to find its way at once 
to our hearts and clothe it with the freshness of a living, loving 
presence. 

The subjects whose earthly career we are about to delineate, 
were whole-souled enough to elicit the respect of all who knew 
them, hence they made lasc'mg friends, whilst to their own im- 
mediate family their loss is irreparable, and it is hard to realize 
that they are no more ; for who is there among us who does not 
know what it is to be united by a fond and passionate affection 
to those who are no longer with us — ever to think of the beloved 
ones, and to feel ourselves constantly under the influence of 
the vanished presence ? 

It cannot be claimed for James Knowles that he was a great 
man, a learned scholar, or one possessed of extraordinary intel- 
lectual culture above his fellows, but, as Hamerton says : " It 
is not erudition that makes the intellectual man, but a sort of 
virtue which delights in vigorous and beautiful thinking, just as 
moral virtue delights in vigorous and beautiful conduct." So it 
was with our brother, he made the most of the talents God en- 



Preface. 



vii 



dowed him with, and whatever he undertook to do, he did with 
might and main ; hence his success in any undertaking, or any 
cause he espoused, for he seemed to realize that success in a 
good cause is undoubtedly better than failure, while the result in 
any case is not to be regarded so much as the aim and effort, 
and the striving with which worthy objects are pursued. Al- 
though the Elder may have been less than a Huss, a Calvin, or 
a Knox in public fame, he had emulated them in self-contem- 
plation and humility. 

As for Matilda Knowles, our missionary, she was more than 
a Dorcas, and equally vigorous in spirit with a Lydia ; hence 
we speak of her in the sphere in which it pleased God for 
her to labor. Those who will carefully read the chapters 
devoted to her work, will at once perceive that little is left for 
me to speak of in words of praise. 

Let our Bible women study the pages of this book contain- 
ing the record of ber toil in the vineyard, and note the fruits 
thereof for over a quarter of a century; for no work purely 
imaginative in its character ever outrivalled it in intensity of 
interest, especially to those who have the salvation of the 
unregenerate at heart. To our children and co-workers and 
successors w T e earnestly commend it ; praying that the Divine 
blessing may accompany its circulation and perusal in our own 
and other lands until He shall come whose right it is to reign. 

With these few prefatory remarks, with no claim to literary 



viii 



Preface. 



excellence, and a prayer for the blessing of the Holy Spirit, I 
commit this imperfect production to the perusal of all co- 
workers in the vineyard of the Lord. 

I also sincerely trust that it will be acceptable to every evan- 
gelical denomination, where the love of the Great Creator, and 
the advancing perfection of human life predominates over all 
forms of sin and superstition. 

Duncan M. Young. 

New York, August 18, 1887. 



CONTENTS. 



JAMES KNOWLES. 



PAGE. 



CHAPTER L 

Brief Sketch of the Life of James Kxowles, . 15 
CHAPTER II. 

Correspondence and Covenants, .... 24 

CHAPTER III. 
Scripture Texts, 70 

CHAPTER IV. 
The Last Hours, ..... .38 

CHAPTER V. 

The Dead who Die in the Lord, 46 

CHAPTER VI. 

A Brief Historical Sketch of the Allen Street 

Presbyterian Church, 70 



X 



Contents. 



MATILDA KNOWLES. 



PAGE. 

CHAPTER VII. 
Brief Memoir of Matilda Knowles, ... 85 

CHAPTER VIII. 
The Value of Prayer, 89 

CHAPTER IX. 
The Story of William the Consumptive, . . 94 

CHAPTER X. 

Sowing and Reaping, 105 

CHAPTER XI. 
Daily Missionary Work, 113 

CHAPTER XII. 
Destitution and Reformation, . - 120 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Her Faithfulness in Little Things ) . . . 125 

CHAPTER XIV. 
The Power of Influence, 132 

CHAPTER XV. 
Miscellaneous Extracts from Her Diary, . . 136 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Struggles and Triumphs, 149 



Contents, xi 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Leading Souls to Christ, . . . . . 156 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

The Dying Mother and the Intemperate Hus- 
band, . . . . 159 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Help and Loving Kindness, 163 

CHAPTER XX. 
Reaching the Heart, 166 

CHAPTER XXL 
Winter Life and Scenes, 171 

CHAPTER XXII. 
Circulating the Scriptures, 175 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
The Ninety and Nine, 178 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Answered Prayer, 185 

CHAPTER XXV. 
The Sin of Idolatry, . . . . . . 192 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
Peace Through Believing, 197 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
Drawn by the Cords of Love, . 202 



xii 



Contents. 



PAGE. 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 
Love for the Hebrews, ...... 206 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
Thankfulness to God, . . . . , . 211 

CHAPTER XXX. 
Lost, but Found, . . . . . . . 214 

CHAPTER XXXI. 
Sea-Side Excursions for Mothers and Children, 219 

CHAPTER XXXII. 
The Intemperate Wife, 223 

CHAPTER XXXIII. 
Her Love of Children and of Praying, . . 226 

CHAPTER XXXIV. 
The Conversion of Children, .... 231 

CHAPTER XXXV. 
Asleep in Jesus, ....... 235 

CHAPTER XXXVI. 
Testimonials and Letters of Condolence, . 264 

CHAPTER XXXVII. 
Conclusion, 278 



Dedication. 



To the Pastors, Elders, Sabbath-School Workers, and 
the New York Female Bible Readers' Society, 
who were intimately associated 
with the deceased 
in Winning Souls to Christ, 

£l)ese ittemoirs arc Affectionately Dedicatee 

By the Editor. 



$ty Pemortttttu 



DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF MR. AND MRS. JAMES KNOWLES. 

They died within a week of each other, after a married life of forty-seven 
years, and each at the age of seventy-five. 

Ever faithful to the cause of their Master, they died as they had lived — in 
triumphant faith. 

Hand in hand, together they trod 

Through years twoscore and seven; 
Their only staff was the Word of God, 

Their path was the way to heaven. 

Hand in hand, e'er the burning sun 

Had drunk up the morning dew, 
They started their earthly journey to run, 

While the heavens were fair and blue. 

But life's path lies not through a grassy dell, 

In the cool of the morning's shade; 
There are scorching sands, and torrents that swell r 

As well as the flowery glade. 



Gathering Jewels. 



There are crags to climb in the mountains fast, 
There are gorges, and canyons deep, 

And the blinding snow, and the wintry blast 
Must over the landscape sweep. 

And the shoulders must bear a wearisome load, 

Whether o'er mountain or moor, 
Or through forest, or dusty highway, lay the road, 

Or the feet be bleeding and sore. 

But hand in hand we see them still, 
When the sun had drunk up the dew ; 

They were toiling steadfastly up the hill, 
Ever keeping the end in view. 

They scaled the crags of the mountain steep 

When the noontide sun was high ; 
And they forded the flood of the canyon deep, 

When the sun lay low in the sky. 

But their tired feet are no longer as light 

As in days of the long, long past ; 
x\nd their youthful tresses have turned to white 

With the snows, and the wintry blast. 

Now hand in hand, they stand by the shore 

Of a river dark and wide ; 
And the songs which the seraphs are wafting o'er, 

They catch from the other side. 



In Memoriam. 



And their faces beam with unearthly light, 

In the rays of the setting sun, 
As their eyes peer far beyond mortals' sight, 

And they learn that life's journey is done. 

Hand in hand by the river, they stray 
Where the dark waves wash the shore ; 

And they hear the splash, and the feathery spray, 
As the ferryman dips his oar. 

Now the father waves a loving adieu, 

As he looses his clasped hand ; 
And the ferryman plies his oar anew, 

Till he reaches the golden strand. 

By the silent waves of the river of death, 

The mother is waiting still, 
With eager eye and with bated breath, 

The call of the Master's will. 

Now her face is illumed by a heavenly light 

As sweet as angels' breath; 
For she knows that the unclasped hands will unite, 

Across the river of death. 



New York, February 17, 1887. 



George F. Sargent. 




JAMES KNOWLES. 



GATHERING JEWELS. 



CHAPTER I. 
BRIEF SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF JAMES KNOWLES. 

r< God bless thee, bairn — my bonnie bairn," 

She said, an' straikit doon his hair ; 
" O may the widow's God be thine, 

And mak' thee His peculiar care ! " 

James Knowles was born at sea, December 5, 181 1, his 
father, the previous day, having been swept overboard and 
lost. Unfortunately no record of the misfortune was kept to 
be available for the present purpose; hence we are unable to 
give either the name of the ship, or the latitude and longi- 
tude it was in when his birth occurred. Picture to yourself 
the deck of a vessel in mid-ocean, where the widow of a day 
becomes a mother the next, the subject of this sketch being the 
infant presented to her bosom, and you have a glimpse of the 
situation — though it be unconnected with either a cottage, a 
mansion, or a palace. 

The mother returned with the infant to the home of her 
father at Ballymena, Ireland, where her relatives then under- 
took the care of the fatherless babe, which eventually grew into 
healthy boyhood of the most affectionate character. 

As a youth he made rapid progress in the elementary branches 
of education, often surprising his teachers with the patience 
and care he exhibited in keeping in advance of his fellow- 



10 



Gathering Jewels. 



students — for he was almost always at the head of his class. 
He was noted for his quiet, unobtrusive disposition, underlying 
which was an internal force, which made him prompt in action, 
and to the point in word, when the display of such charac- 
teristics was sometimes necessary to establish his individual 
superiority with more than usual power among his fellow-school- 
mates. 

In 1826 he commenced his apprenticeship as a compositor, 
under the care of Mr. Dugan, in the city of Belfast, Ireland, 
where he continued until the expiration of the time of his in- 
dentures. 

In 1832, after an ocean passage of sixty days in a sailing ves- 
sel, he arrived in Philadelphia, Pa. 

During this long and tedious voyage across the Atlantic, he 
and the captain of the ship became very intimately attached to 
each other, and he was frequently invited to dine with the 
officers. 

After a brief stay in Philadelphia, he came to New York City, 
where he found employment. Immediately after his arrival in 
this city, he became a member of the Rev. Dr. McLeod's Re- 
formed Presbyterian Church, in Chambers Street, and con- 
tinued with this church until after they had removed to Prince 
Street. 

In 1835. he became an employe in the office of the Journal 
of Commerce. He frequently recalled that fearful night during 
the great fire in New York, when the greater part of the lower 
portion of the city was totally destroyed, and some of the large 
buildings had to be blown up with gunpowder, to stop the 
ravages of the flames ; he took an active part in carrying the 
printing " forms" to a place of safety. 

In 1839 he was married to Miss Matilda Darroch, who was a 
member of Dr. McCarthy's Canal Street Presbyterian Church 
and a teacher in the Sabbath-school. 

As a Christian man, at this time, we find him teaching a large 



Brief Sketch of the Life of James Knowles. 



'7 



Bible-class for young men in the above church, and to the end 
of his earthly career he was constantly engaged in the Sabbath- 
school. 

In 1S49 the Prince Street Church property was sold to erect a 
new building on Twelfth Street, where he continued to attend 
the services until the year 1850, when some of the members, 
being anxious to enlarge their borders, and continue the work 
in the lower part of the city, formed the Second Reformed Pres- 
byterian Church. They organized, and called the Rev. Spencer 
L. Finney to the pastorate, who commenced to hold services in 
the hall of the Apprentices' Library, No. 472 Broadway, where 
they worshipped for one year, and then secured more ample 
accommodations in which to worship God, in the rooms of the 
Medical College, Crosby Street, near Spring. 

In 1850 he was carefully examined, and when found qualified 
for the sacred office, was duly ordained a ruling elder in the 
Second Reformed Presbyterian Church. 

During the year 1S54 the Church purchased the building in 
Mulberry Street, near Grand, belonging to the Lutheran body. 

At this time he continued to reside on the west side of the 
city, and attended two sessions of the Sabbath-school morning 
and afternoon, with two preaching services, and one prayer- 
meeting in the evening. 

As soon as the congregation were permanently settled in a 
church building, he removed from the west to the east side of 
the city, to the Tenth Ward, in order to be in close proxim- 
ity to his church work. 

He continued to worship with the Second Reformed Presby- 
terian Church, under the pastorate of the Rev. S. L. Finney, 
who, in 1863, was called to Princeton, N. J. 

The Rev. Geo. S. Chambers was subsequently called to take 
the pastoral charge. Eventually, it was found essential to 
change their ecclesiastical relations from the Reformed Presby- 
terian Church to the Old School, from which time (the two 



Gathering Jewels. 



religious bodies having become united), the congregation be- 
came known as the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church. 

In due course it united with the Fortieth Street Presbyterian 
Church, afterward called the Murray Hill Presbyterian Church, 
because at the time, though in possession of a church building, 
they had no pastor. Mr. Knowles continued to attend regularly 
until the imperative demands of age and time called for change, 
when he became united with the Allen Street Church. 

In 1870 he accepted an invitation from his uncle to visit 
his native place ; and he frequently afterward remarked that 
the scenes of his boyhood's days had materially changed as 
much as he had ; realizing that change, progress, and decay 
were written upon all things terrestrial. 

During this visit to Europe, he greatly enjoyed rambles over 
the country roads, admiring the beauties of the surrounding 
scenery. 

On one occasion, while passing the school-house of his boy- 
hood days, he was found by an old friend, wistfully gazing 
at the building, who said, "What are you looking at?" And 
upon entering into conversation, he discovered that he and the 
gentleman who addressed him had been former schoolmates 
together. 

We find recorded in his diary the following : 

"I now commence filling this book, which I brought with 

me from New York, in the steamship Italia. I am now in Fen- 

agh, Ireland." 

From the record of this journey, we notice that he was very 
careful in watching the signs of the times, and the changing 
moods of the weather. For example, he writes thus : 

Sabbath, January 4, 1874. — When I rose this morning, I found 
the ground covered with snow ; the first fall of the season, and 
like the little captive Syrian maid, though far from home and 
friends and among comparative strangers, I do not forget God 
or the sanctuary. 



Brief Sketch of the Life vf James Knowles. 19 



Monday, January 5th. — A fine day, but cold, and snow on the 
ground. 

Tuesday, January 6th. — A fine day, and a fine thaw, which 
resulted in the removal of the snow which had fallen a short 
time previously. 

Wednesday, January jth (morning). — A fine day. Afternoon, 
clouds gathering ; lightning and thunder ; came on to rain. 

Thursday, January 8th. — A fine day of the season. 

Friday, January gth. — A fair day. 

Saturday, January \oth. — A fine day. I w T ent into Bally- 
mena myself, and called at several places, and upon Mr. White, 
the printer, who did not know me, or remember anything about 
me. I called also on Mrs. McQuitty, who treated me in a very 
kindly manner. I also called on Mr. Kilpatrick's, but I only 
saw two of his daughters, and a little child. On the same day 
I bought McComb's almanac in Ballymena ; paid two pence 
for it. I also bought the Ballymena Observer from Mr. White. 
I walked into Ballymena, and also returned in like manner, 
only that in returning I took a circuitous route, that I might 
see a portion of the country that I had not seen for a length of 
time before my departure for America, in June, 1832. 

Sabbath, January nth (forenoon). — I heard Mr. Moody lec- 
ture from the 16th chapter of John, and 16th verse. 

Afternoon. — Nehemiah, 9th chapter and 19th verse : " Yet 
Thou in Thy manifold mercy, forsookest them not in the wilder- 
ness ; the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to 
lead them in the way ; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show 
them light, and the way wherein they should go." 

Monday, January 12th. — A cold day. I received a letter 
from my son, William Knowles, in New York City. 

Wednesday, May 19, 1875. — A fine day. I went to Belfast in 
an excursion train, and called at several places, and in the even- 
ing took a cabin passage for Glasgow, Scotland. I went from 
Greenock to Glasgow in the train ; I arrived on Thursday 



20 



Gathering Jewels. 



morning in Glasgow, about six o'clock, and went to my brother- 
in-law's, Mr. William Darroch. The day is cold, blowing, and 
showers. 

Glasgow, Sabbath morning ; May 23a 7 . — Heard the Rev. Mr. 
Douglass lecture from the 6th chapter of Matthew. 

Afternoon. — A lovely day. Heard another minister preach 
in the same church, from the 3d chapter of Philippians, and 8th 
verse : " Yea doubtless, and I count all things but lost for the 
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord." 

Tuesday, May 2$th. — I went with Mrs. Darroch and her 
daughter, Maggie, to Edinburgh, and after visiting the castle, 
and a number of other places of interest, returned to Glasgow 
the same day. 

Saturday, May 29th. — Returned to Belfast. 

Sabbath morning, May 30th. — A beautiful day. Heard Dr. 
Houston, pastor of my boyhood, lecture from the 13th chapter of 
Jofyn ; then preach from 1st Thessalonians, 3d chapter, 12th 
and 13th verses. Lecture in the evening, from the 6th and 7th 
chapter of Revelations. I took dinner and tea with Rev. Dr. 
Houston and his family. A fine day throughout. 

Before returning to this country he expressed his love and un- 
feigned gratitude to the memory of his sainted mother (who 
early taught him the ways of God) by erecting a substantial 
monument over her grave to perpetuate her revered name. 

After spending two years in Europe he returned to New York, 
and was elected an Elder in the Allen Street Church. 

On Easter Sabbath, April, 1877, he was regularly installed 
into office as a Ruling Elder. 

So I ask Thee, Lord, to give me grace 

My little place to fill, 
That I may ever walk with Thee, 

And ever do Thy will, 
And in each duty, great or small ; 

I may be faithful still. 



Brief Sketch of the Life of James Knowles. 



Of course, the life-work of such a man as we are contemplat- 
ing was full of little peculiarities (eccentricities, society calls 
them, which even his most intimate relations with the world 
does not divulge to the inquisitive of his da) r . It is only after 
such men pass away and their relatives are permitted to look into 
the " private jewel-box," as it were, that we come across the 
brilliant diamonds of thought, the glowing rubies of expressed 
gratitude and, may be, some softly-tinted pearls of faith, hope 
and charity, all lying together in the receptacle which, even if 
humble in workmanship, is full of priceless treasures. 

The Bible of our friend was very often used for over forty 
years, until it showed that it was never allowed to preserve a 
dainty appearance through a want of use, nor the dust to accu- 
mulate on cover or edge by reason of its owner's non-usage of 
the sacred pages. It was a useful Reference Bible, and, no doubt, 
of immense value and comfort to him, for the pages are pretty 
well worn, even where no marks are made indicative of favorite 
passages, etc. 

Next among the eccentricities of our friend was the disposi- 
tion to keep a quiet order of memorandums, and a diary extend- 
ing back for many years, from which had we the space to spare 
in this book we would place before the world some of the gems 
found in his jewel-box, as indicative of the man's industry and 
the Christian's freedom from ostentatious display. 

Help each step upon the way, 
Strength sufficient for the day, 
All things easy in Thy might, 
Work for thee a felt delight. 

Courage, patience, grace supplied, 
All things needful — at Thy side ; 
Such my happy lot will be, 
Working, dearest Lord, with thee. 



2 2 



Gathering Jewels. 



Agreeably with the spirit of our labor, we will take an impartial 
view of our friend as a Christian, in the eyes of the world, and 
among laymen generally. That he was no drone in the Chris- 
tian hive, all the world could see ; that he was active and un- 
usually laborious for Christ and the Church, no one who follows 
the spirit of the sermon eulogizing his memory, or who reads 
this work, can deny ; as an Elder of the Church, he was faith- 
ful in anything he was requested to perform, especially in 
public prayer-meeting, individual devotional study, and self- 
contemplation. 

His sympathy for suffering humanity in any form, was, in- 
deed, very large, in fact so easily moved, that he would habit- 
ually visit the sick members of the Church after being relieved 
from such duties. To him all men and women were brothers 
and sisters, the distance of relationship (if very strained and far 
between in some instances), he would claim, was closer, more 
congenial, and intimate in others. 

As a builder among the builders, a workman among the 
workmen of the temple ; or as a brother among brethren of 
the same house, he was meekness itself ; his spirit of patience 
never failing him in instances where " to wait was gain," either 
for God, the Church, or himself. 

His acquiescence in the decision of his brethren, when they 
at last decided upon changing the location of their place of 
worship, was secured at the price of sacrificing his own pre- 
ferences in the matter — and all for the sake of peace, harmony, 
and continued brotherly love. In this he was a " light shining 
upon a hill-top." 

The interest he always displayed and the anxiety he expressed 
for the continued welfare of the Church, manifesting the same 
in the labors performed or duties undertaken, was always pro- 
found, as it embraced among other items of care the temporal 
welfare and spiritual prosperity of the various clergymen with 
whom he had labored. 



Brief Sketch of the Life of James Knowles. 



-5 



In his demeanor he was never in a hurry to do to-day what 
he should have done yesterday, because having no faith in pro- 
crastination, he left nothing undone to-day to be performed on 
the morrow, if by any means it could be accomplished, or the 
duty performed at once. In going to the House of God, he left 
all worry about the world on the outside of it, the moment he en- 
tered the porch ; the drudgery of every-day life did not go 
with him into the pew ; the prejudices of an ambiguous man 
troubled him not, while the disposition to n take things easy," 
while others bore the burden, was never fostered by him. 

But he did carry something into the house every time he 
entered ! He took in with him his Bible, his sweetest tem- 
per, his most charitable disposition, a vigorous condition of 
soul-life, a sensible care of the temporal body, and also the con- 
tinued desire to be always walking with God, as well as the 
desire for larger acquisitions of intuitive spiritual knowledge — 
very proper things to take into the House of God with you at 
all times ; and our departed brother had enough of these, and 
to spare. 

But to cease from reflection, we close this chapter with one of 
our friend's favorite little gems of poetry, believing that when 
you have read it, you will agree with us that James Knowles was 
a man to be beloved, indeed ; for through these few lines his 
spirit breathes back again to us from the great beyond : 

If you cannot be a leader 

In the crowd that pours along, 
Raise the fallen, lying- prostrate 

Under foot, amid the throng. 

Though your work be never mentioned, 
Though your name may not appear, 

Speak one word for "Jesus only," 
And the Lord, at least, will hear. 



CHAPTER II. 



CORRESPONDENCE AND COVENANTS. 

The following letter was written to his mother while an ap- 
prentice as a printer in the city of Belfast, Ireland: 

Belfast, January 15, 1829. 
Dear Mother:— I write this letter to you for the purpose 
of letting you know how I am doing. I am devoting the most 
of my leisure hours to reading and improving my mind, some 
way or other. Indeed, it is not much time I have to devote to 
things of that nature; but all the time I have I am busy. I meet 
with a good many advantages in every respect, where I am now. 
I have the advantage of having a room to apply my time to what- 
ever study I resolve to persevere in. If I had time, I would 
give you a more correct account of my transactions through the 
day; but if I have time to meditate a little, I hope I will be en- 
abled to give you some account of the sermons that I hear, as I 
think it would be greatly to my own interest, for if I pry into 
that part of information, there is no danger but that I will have 
success in whatever situation I am placed in life. I may be 
thankful that I have a room to read my Bible in on Sabbath 
days. I have none to speak to me or give me annoyance of any 
sort whatever. I hope the next letter I write you, that it will be 
in a more correct sense. I hope you will write me by Johnny, 
when he is coming back to town, and let me know how you are 
succeeding in work, and how Jane is succeeding in the business 
of the shop. I send my love to all my friends (every one in par- 
ticular), I hope you will let me know how they are all doing; but 



Correspo?idence and Covenants. 



2 5 



I have nothing more to say at present. But I trust you will 
write me in the beginning of the week. I must conclude, as it is 
now too late for me to say anything more. All here are well, 

but Mrs. L , who is in a bad state of health. 

James Kxowles. 



The following letter is a sample of many to his old pastors, 
showing his strong attachment to those who labored with him in 
word and doctrine: 

New York, March 26, 1883. 
Mr. Phelps — Reverend and dear friend and Christian brother: 
It has been my purpose for some time to write to you and yours, 
even if it should be but a few lines, to assure you that you are 
not forgotten by us ; for although you are absent from us, yet 
your faithful and earnest appeals still live in our remembrance, 
and I have no doubt will continue to do so ; and while I may not 
be able to recall much of the many sermons which I have heard 
you deliver, yet the impressions made upon my mind while sit- 
ting under them are retained. I might, however, state here, that 
I was sorry to part with you and your family, and to feel that 
your pastoral relationship with us would soon be broken up ; I 
had made up my mind to stay by the Church while you re- 
mained, if I lived, as I was attached to you and your family as 
to personal friends. . . . My wife and I unite in love to 
you and Mrs. Phelps and your son. 

James Knowles. 



26 



Gathering Jewels. 



COVENANTS WITH GOD. 

" Dear Lord, and shall Thy Spirit rest 
In such a wretched heart as mine ? 
Unworthy dwelling- ! Glorious Guest ! 
Favor astonishing, Divine ! " 

The following acts of consecration will, no doubt, be of 
interest to the reader : 

New York, Thursday, June 21, i860. 
I do solemnly resolve from this day onward to endeavor, rely- 
ing on thy Holy Spirit, to serve Thee better. This is my covenant, 
and I would ask Thee to own and bless me with peace and joy 
in believing. 



New York, Saturday, October 6, i860. 
I now promise, as I have formerly promised to do, from this 
day onward, to serve God better than I have been doing ; de- 
pending on God's spirit for assistance; and will now ask to be 
prospered as God may see good for me. 

James Knowles. 



New York, Friday, October 18, 1861. 
I resolved to serve God with renewed efforts, determining to 
look alone to God for help.* 

James Knowles. 



* The Fulton Street Noon Prayer Meetings found him an occasional visitor 
during these days of national peril, anxiety, and prayer. 



Correspondence and Covenants. 



27 



New York, Thursday, April 9, 1863. 
Entered into an agreement with my Heavenly Father that, 
through the strength of His divine grace, I will live more for the 
glory of God than I have ever done. 

James Knowles. 



New York, Saturday afternoon, April 22, 1865. 
I renewed my covenant with God in the City Hall Park while 
standing there, which I some years ago made, and now I again 
renew it, that I would serve God better than formerly. 

James Knowles. 



New York, Thursday, April 19, 1866. 

Renewed my engagement with the Lord to serve Him better 
than I had done before, after having prayed to Him to be justi- 
fied through faith in the righteousness of Christ ; and asked for 
other blessings which I felt satisfied I would receive, for I feel 
my great need of these, as I felt very helpless in myself, but that 
there was abundant fulness in Christ. 

I write this and the above on this Saturday night, the 2 2d of 
April, 1866. 

James Knowles. 



New York, Wednesday, December 5, 1866. 
My birth-day, and a fine day. 

I resolved on this day to endeavor to serve the Lord better, 
and renewed my covenant with the Lord, which I formerly 
made, and have again and again sought or attempted to renew. 
May the Lord aid me in the futuie. 



28 



Gathering Jewels. 



And thus, from these few specimens of his constantly self- 
convicted weakness and appeals for more spiritual strength, we 
get a look at the inner life of a practical Christian worker which 
it is rare to find among us in these days. He could not stand 
alone; his last self-examination always found him short, though 
it consisted of but a few questions put by the spirit to the flesh 
at the end of every devotional service incidental to the life and 
work of each day, thus : 

Did I this morn devoutly pray 
For God's assistance through the day? 
And did I read His sacred Word, 
To make my life therewith accord ? 
Did I for any purpose try 
To hide the truth and tell a lie ? 
Did I my time and thoughts engage 
As fits rny duty, station, age ? 
Did I with care my temper guide, 
Checking ill-humor, anger, pride ? 
Did I my lips from aught refrain 
That might my fellow-creature pain ? 
Did I with cheerful patience bear 
The little ills that all must share ? 
For all God's mercies through this day 
Did I my grateful tribute pay ? 
And did I, when the day was o'er, 
God's watchful aid again implore ? 



CHAPTER III. 

SCRIPTURE TEXTS. 

1858. 

" I WANT a meek, a gentle, quiet frame, 

A heart that glows with love to Jesus' name; 

I want a living sacrifice to be 

For Him who died a sacrifice for me." 

The following extracts from his diary reveal to us his careful- 
ness in noting the texts of Scripture and the analysis of sermons 
he heard preached on the Sabbaths and week days from 1858 up 
to the time of his death. 

Thursday [fast-day), September 16, 1858. — Heard a sermon 
preached by Dr. Crawford from the 57th chapter of Isaiah and 
the 15th verse : " For thus saith the high and lofty One that in- 
habiteth eternity, whose name is holy; I dwell in the high and 
holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, 
to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the 
contrite ones." 

Saturday, September 18th. — Preached by Mr. Sanderson, from 
the 15th chapter of St. Luke. and the 2d verse : "And the Phari- 
sees and Scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, 
and eateth with them." 

Sabbath, June 20, 1859. — Preached by Mr. Finney, from Eccle- 
siastes, chapter 9, verse 10: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to 
do, do it with thy might ; for there is no work, nor device, nor 
knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest." 

Sabbath, December 16, i860. — Preached by Mr. Finney, from 



3 o 



Gathering Jewels. 



the 53d chapter of Isaiah and nth verse, last clause: " By his 
knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many: for he shall 
bear their iniquities." Afternoon. — " Therefore being justified: 
by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus 
Christ." It is like the love of my mother. What an inex- 
pressible peace and love and gentleness is launched upon you; 
which none but a mother can bestow, oft do I sigh in my strug- 
gles with the hard, uncaring world, for the sweet, deep security ! 
felt, when of an evening, nestling in her bosom, I listened to 
some quiet tale. In my younger years I read in her tender and 
loving voice an invaluable incentive to be good. I can never 
forget her sweet smile upon me. When I appear to sleep, I feel 
her sweet kiss of peace. 

A Mother's Love. 
Children, look in those eyes; listen to that dear voice; notice 
the feeling of a single touch that is bestowed upon you by that 
gentle hand. Make much of it while yet you have that most 
precious of all good gifts — a loving mother. Read the unfath- 
omable love of those eyes; the kind anxiety of that tone and 
look, and by analogy remember the tenderness and compassion 
of Jesus. 

New York, November 12, 1865 [Sabbath Day). — Heard Mr. 
Finney preach from the Gospel according to St. Luke, 24th 
chapter and 23d verse: " And they said one to another, did not 
our hearts burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, 
and while he opened to us the Scripture?" It was powerful and 
impressive to all present, as: 1. The doctrinal teaching of 
Christ, as understood in this part of the chapter. 2. It is scrip- 
tural. 3. It is faithful. 4. It is pointed. 5. It is instructive to 
the understanding. 

Friday, December 12, 1867.- — I attended our church, and heard 
a sermon preached from the 3d chapter of St. Matthew and the 
3d verse, last clause: " Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his 



Scrip here- Texts. 



3i 



paths straight." Afterward Mr. Chambers was ordained to the 
office of the gospel ministry, and the charge was given to him 
by Dr Campbell ; and the charge to the people by Dr. Hall. 
After the conclusion of the services, the congregation congratu- 
lated our newly-ordained pastor in his new relation to us. 

Sabbath, October 1st. — Preached' by Mr. Chambers to the chil- 
dren of the Sabbath-school, in the Fortieth Street Church, from 
Luke ii., verses 27 to 32. Simeon was led by the Spirit into 
the Temple, and for an important object. He had been waiting 
in expectancy of this great event, and at the appointed period 
was led to the temple, where he became satisfied in beholding 
the Lord's Christ, and thus his faith became constant in the ful- 
filment of God's promise to him, an3 found that the desires 
awakened in his soul was now satisfied ; and although he had 
*been comparatively unknown to others, yet he now enjoyed not 
only a convincing proof of God's goodness to himself on this 
occasion, with such an appearance of love, but he enjoyed the 
privilege of prophesying concerning his own people, and also 
the effects of the gospel upon the Gentile nations. 

Sabbath, November 21st. — Preached by Mr. Chambers, from 
Jeremiah, 2d chapter and 19th verse : " Thine own wickedness 
shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know 
therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou 
hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, 
saith the Lord God of hosts. " 

In one of his notes, as if he had just heard a sermon upon the 
subject, he writes : " In lives of faith and long obedience to the 
command of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, we have first 
presented to us something of the operations and workings of the 
mind of the depth of humility and gratitude expressed in his own 
words, and the evident absence of everything of a proud spirit. 
Thus when the sinner is brought to Christ, the change will be- 
come manifest not in giving expression to similar feelings in 
only thankful acknowledgments in words, but a becoming and 



32 



Gathering Jewels. 



thankful spirit will be seen in the entire life, in proportion as 
Jesus is followed and kept in view. But when Jesus is received 
into the heart, the recipient of this precious gift will feel anxious 
to do good to others, that they, too, may partake of the benefits 
of His salvation. First, then, deep repentance of sin. Second, 
a heart full of gratitude to God for this free gift. Third, the 
Apostle is not ashamed to acknowledge his entire indebtedness 
to God. What encouragement we may have from this circum- 
stance in common with others to endeavor to do good; for if it 
was such an advantage to this man to be made whole, how great, 
then, must the advantage be to those, who are led to believe 
in Christ, and are delivered from condemnation, and become 
heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. 

New York, Sabbath, March 6, 1870. — Sermon [preached by 
Dr. McElroy's assistant] from 1st Thessaionians, 5th chapter, 
17th verse : " Pray without ceasing." 

1. By observing stated seasons for prayer. 

2. Always maintain a prayerful spirit. 

3 Always acting as in the immediate presence of God. 
4. Turning everything into prayer. 

New York, Sabbath, March 20, 1870. — Sermon preached by 
Mr. Chambers, to the Sabbath-school, from 6th chapter of Ro- 
mans, 23d verse : " For the wages of sin is death, but the gift 
of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord." 

1. The death of character. 

2. The death of all good prospect. 

3. The death of the body. 

4. The death of the soul. 

Fortieth Street Church, Sabbath, December 3, 187 1. — Sermon 
preached by Mr. Chambers, from the 25th chapter of St. Mat- 
thew, 31st and 32d verses : " When the Son of man shall come 
in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit 
upon the throne of His glory. And before Him shall be gath- 



S& 7/ tu re Tex is . 3 3 



ered all nations : and he shall separate them one from another, 
as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. 
Subject, the goats and sheep. 

G — Go into dangerous places. 
O — Often annoy the sheep. 
A — Appear like sheep. 
T — Take poisonous food. 
S — Stubborn. 

S — Seek the fold. 

H — Hear the shepherd's voice. 

E — Ever the same. 

E — Eat the wholesome food. 

P — Peaceful and peaceable. 

New York, Sabbath, December 30, 18S3. — Heard Rev. Dr. 
Conkling preach from St. Matthew, 17th chapter and Sth verse : 
"And when they had lifted up their eyes they saw no man 
save Jesus only." 

1. Take Jesus as your guide. 

2. Trust Jesus as your Saviour. 

3. We should follow Jesus as our example. 

4. We should love Jesus with a supreme love. 

I heard Mr. Moody preach from the nth chapter of Hebrews 
and the 16th verse: "But now they desire a better country, 
that is, an heavenly ; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called 
their God ; for he hath prepared for them a city." This he 
divided into three parts : 

I. The persons referred to are believers. 
(a.) They lived by faith. 

(b.) They died in faith. 

II. They were called by His name ; and realized His presence. 

III. He had prepared for them a eitx. 

Sabbath, November 21st — Preached by Mr. Chambers to the 
children of the Sabbath-school, from Proverbs 20th chapter and 



34 



Gathering Jewels. 



nth verse: " Even a child is known by his doings, whether his 
work be pure, and whether it be right." Subject: How children 
may be known. First. We will take the word Lord, and let each 
letter stand for a word, or a particular part. 
L — Love. Love to God, etc. 

— Obedience. Obedience to God and to their parents. 
R — Respectful to their superiors. 

D — Doing good. 

How bad children are known : 

Take one word and let each letter stand for a particular sub- 
ject. By their 
D — Disobedience. 
E — Enticing others to evil. 
V — Vanity and pride. 

1 — Insulting to their superiors. 
L — Love of sin. 

Heard Mr. Chambers preach from the 19th chapter of St. 
Matthew's gospel and the 13th and 14th verses: " Then were 
brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on 
them, and pray : and his disciples rebuked them. But Jesus 
said : Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto 
me ; for of such is the kingdom of heaven." 

A. Approach of the parents to Christ. 

B. Blessing sought. 

C. Conduct of the disciples. 

D. Displeasure of Christ. 

E. Encouragement of Christ to the parents of the children. 

F. Familiar reception of those parents and the children on 
the part of Christ. 

G. Gracious words of Christ. 

H. Heavenly requirements. 

Improvement, or instructions from lesson. Under the 8th 
head of the discourse, Heavenly requirements, he referred to 
five characteristics of children as designated by the five letters 



Scrip it re Texts. 



55 



of the word child ; viz.. C, Confiding. H, Happy. I, Inquisitive. 
L, Loving. D, Dependants. 

Citing another interesting sermon, he writes : 

New York, September 2$th (Sabbath). — Heard Rev. George O. 
Phelps preach from the 3d chapter of Acts and 6th verse, " Then 
Peter said, Silver and gold have I none ; but such as I have give 
I thee : In the name of Jesus Christ of Xazareth rise up and 
walk." The true followers of Christ, in their desire to do good, 
will frequently find cases to excite their sympathy. Here was a 
most affecting case, a man lame from his mother's womb, but is 
suddenly cured by the power of God. He was directed by Peter 
to look upon John and himself, assuring him that they had 
neither silver nor gold, but such as they had he would give. He 
had only to .look upon them, Peter and John, at the beautiful 
gate that is supposed to divide the Gentiles from the inner 
Court. 

1. The power of Christ displayed in such a remarkable man- 
ner on this occasion. 2. The faith of the man in doing as he 
was told, and the effects produced. 3. The faith of Peter and 
John, united with their desire to work a miracle in this man's 
case. 4. The gratitude of this man ; he had received far more 
than he had expected. 

Their success was even more than they had anticipated. 
They had gone forth at the command of Christ. They had 
not only respect for His authority, but they gave testimony to 
this by their ready obedience to the command of Jesus, and 
thus far they had the satisfaction of doing the will of their Lord 
and Master. 

It was a loving obedience, as can be seen by the results that 
followed. 

They commenced their work right, receiving their instructions 
from their Saviour Himself. They went forth relying upon Him 
for the help and assistance required. 

They returned again to give him their report, and they re- 



36 



Gathering Jewels. 



joiced to feel that their success was even beyond what they ex- 
pected. And yet, while the Saviour heard their report, He 
cautioned them not to let their success occupy too much of their 
attention, but rather rejoice because their names are written in 
heaven. It is pleasant to know that when we obey the Lord, as 
these seventy disciples did, that we adhere strictly to all- His 
words of command ; and that we know that we have experienced 
the love of God in our hearts ; but yet we are not to make this 
the ground- work of our rejoicing, but trust more in that which 
is done without us than in that which is done within us. 

Another grand characteristic of the elder was his almost in- 
variable custom to watch and note the providential dealings 
of God with the officers of the church, whenever they met for the 
transaction of business. 

His fidelity in noting the texts preached from, down to the last 
Sabbath he spent on earth, is a proof of his unparalleled per- 
severance and painstaking in keeping his diary. 

We close this part of our work by giving our readers a sample 
of his carefulness at this time. 

New York, October iot/1 {Sabbath evening). — Heard Mr. Young 
preach from the 5th chapter of Romans and 1st verse : " Therefore 
being justified by faith," etc., and onward, giving an account of 
Rome the imperial city, and its surroundings ; also the triumphs 
and advances of Christianity notwithstanding the opposition 
which the church had to encounter. 

The last sermon he ever heard on earth was peculiarly appro- 
priate to prepare his mind and heart for the peaceful closing 
hour of this mortal life. He again writes : 

New York, October ijth, 1886 (Sabbath evening). — Heard Mr. 
Young preach from the nth chapter of St. John's Gospel, 
and the 39th verse : " Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. 
. . . Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, 
thou shouldest see the glory of God?" Unfolding the omnipo- 
potency of Christ's love in the hour of sickness and sorrow — 



Scripture Texts. 



37 



also the profound sympathy with the so~ r owing sisters of Beth- 
any in their great bereavement ; and His ms^hless power ove! 
death and the grave, because He said, "I am tlv resurrectio\ 
and the life : he that believeth in me, though he wc**e dead" 
yet shall he live." 

In closing this part of our work we would remark, th?t 
there are very few men who have been so painstaking and me- 
thodical as to record in their diary all the texts, time, and place, 
and the preacher's name, in connection with the sermons to 
which he was permitted to listen. 

Their commencement, continuation, and close ? is all that 
space allows for further insertion. 



CHAPTER IV. 



THE LAST HOURS. 

I often feel impatient, 

And mourn the long delay, 
I never can be settled 

While he remains away. 
But we shall not long be parted, 

For I know he'll quickly come, 
And we shall dwell together 

In that happy, happy home. 

We were about to say farewell to the loved brother whose end 
was rapidly approaching. His going from this life to that be- 
yond the grave was one of the most remarkable for faith and 
hope, quietly exhibiting the spirit of Him who went about con- 
tinually doing good. 

There was no attempt to argue with death, and ask for a 
respite to prepare for the journey through the valley of the 
shadow of death to the golden shore beyond. We cannot 
do better here than lay before the reader the following 
communication written by their son to their former pastor, 
the Rev. George O. Phelps, of Utica, N. Y. It is a brief narra- 
tive of their last hours on earth, which were a triumphant end- 
ing to a long life of devotion to their Master ; 

New York City, November 15, 1886. 
Your kind letter was duly received and contents noted. At 
your request, I will endeavor to give you a brief account of the 
" goings" of my departed parents. In a spirit of humility I desire 
to avoid all expressions of fulsomeness when speaking of their 



The Last Hours. 



39 



lives and last moments, though it might be said that those who 
were at the death-bed of either, and saw them in their last hours, 
would have been willing to have left all to exchange places with 
them. I would say, in the words of one of old, "Let me die the 
death of the righteous, and let my end be like theirs," As they 
lived so they died ! As father lay down, so he never moved 
until he was carried into the arms of Jesus. 

All through his two days' sickness, as we put our ears to his 
lips, we could hear him earnestly praying for Allen Street 
Church, her minister and people, and for his family. Our 
mother would frequently speak to him, saying : 

" Just one word, papa !" 

But he would only shake his head, without uttering a word. 
The history of his going was as follows : 

On Tuesday, October 19th, father left the office for the last 
time. When Wednesday morning, October 20th, dawned, he 
complained of a pain in his side, remarking that he "did not 
think he would go to the office before noon." He did not go 
at all. 

I went to the house in the evening, to find that the doctor 
had been called twice, and that father had pleurisy. We passed 
through the night watching and hoping for favorable changes; 
but, unfortunately, the next (Thursday) morning, October 21st, 
pneumonia set in, and the case became complicated. Already 
very weak, he grew more feeble every hour. He had done his 
part of this life's work, and seemed conscious that the Universal 
Master was about to finish the mansion into which his servant 
was fully prepared to enter. A peaceful, quiet Christian in the 
home circle; a zealous worker in the Church ; watchful in his 
business relations with the world, he looked the very embodi- 
ment of peaceful repose in his last moments, and on his earthly 
bed of sleeping rest — so life-like, too, that I dare not say bed of 
death— as he breathed his last at 2.10 a.m., Saturday, October 
23d. 



AO 



Gathering Jewels, 



The expressions and sentiments of many who visited the 
house during his sickness, and while lying in the casket (Roman 
Catholics, believers, and unbelievers) were all in harmony with 
the idea that " if ever a human being entered heaven, he had 
gone straight to that realm of blissful repose." 

But to go back just prior to his demise, when the doctor quietly 
told us he could not live another day. We tried hard to be re- 
signed on that Friday night, feeling sure that the end was near. 
After the meeting at the Church was dismissed, the minister 
came to the house and remained with us until after midnight, 
obtaining from father the words and signs that are precious as 
he passed away; the last audible words to me being : "William 
God bless you and your family ! " 

the history of my mother's demise, I will briefly state 
that, ?-<iturday night, October 23d, while father lay asleep in 
Jesus, sht "vent to the store, as was her life-long custom, with 
some tracts, cxjC to purchase a few things. On her return after 
coming up-stain. she threw herself down upon the sofa with 
the words, " No pajv to <:ome and carry up the basket for me 
to-night !" and there si"-, sst in deep affliction, as if her heart 
would break. 

On Sabbath night, Octob6. 24th, when quite a number of 
people were in the house, she very earnestly exhorted them in 
Christ Jesus, allowing no one to pas,, vmobserved. In turning to 
one young wife, I heard her kindly ut^e, "Always be cheerful 
and happy ; don't discourage your husband by always complain- 
ing. *He will also get discouraged. That k \ T hat ruins many a 
happy home." Singular to note, my mother had scarcely got 
through, when she, too, complained of a pain ii\ her side, re- 
marking, " It is papa's pain." 

On Monday morning she arose to eventually lie upon the 
sofa in an unconscious state. The funeral services over father's 
remains were to be observed in the Allen Street Presbyterian 
Church at 1 p. m.: therefore the doctor came in to arouse her, 



The Last Hours. 



4i 



and gave her a stimulant, so that she went to the ohurch with 
us, returning home instead of going to the grounds, after the 
services ; and here I may say her pastor preached a very solemn 
sermon, exactly in harmony with the tenor of father's private 
and public life. 

One thing happened (when the relatives were invited to 
step forward and see the remains for the last time) that was 
singular, viz.: As my mother bent over to take a last look at the 
life-long partner of her joys and sorrows, her veil became at- 
tached to the handle of the casket, which my sister was com- 
pelled to stoop and unloosen. Without being superstitious, this 
looked like the dead reaching forth to the living. 

At all events, on Tuesday, October 26th, mother was con- 
fined to her bed, and, as she had said, she had " papa's pain" — 
pleurisy. The next day, Wednesday, October ^7th, pneumonia 
followed, when it required three persons to care lor her in the 
day, and three to attend her through the night, with no change 
for the better. 

On Thursday there was no favorable sign to note — sus- 
pense was still in the balancing beam. Toward Friday night, 
October 29th, all hope having vanished, my mother was 
quietly informed that " her day was short ! " To which she 
responded : "My day is short. I must finish my work ! " 

" Then occurred a repetition of the previous call upon the 
Allen Street Church, a second Friday in succession. In re- 
sponse, the minister, elder, and several young men came 
promptly to the house to hear the testimony of a sainted 
mother in Israel going to rest. After supplication in prayer 
and a hymn of praise, the minister asked mother : 

" Have you any word for me, sister ? " 

Turning over and taking his hand, she said : 

" No ! you know these things yourself. Preach the gospel 
uncolored ! " 

To a Roman Catholic she remarked : 



4 2 Gathering Jewels 

" There are no forms about my religion ! " 

To her daughter-in-law, my wife, she remarked : 

" You have a mother ! " 

To the young men present she lovingly urged : 

" Avoid bad company ; learn of Christ ; seek to be like Him, 
little by little." 

To Mrs. , who is a visitor, she firmly said : 

" You are well liked, and can do a great deal of good ; but 
pray with the people you visit ! " 

Then at times she would exclaim : 

" Oh, I have so much to do ; but I am so weak ! " 

When Esther, my sister, soothingly said : 

" Mother, please do not talk so much, it weakens you ; " she 
responded with : 

" The doctor says my day is short ! " 

Later on, requesting my wife to remove her stockings, 
she remarked, " I have got to the edge of the river ! " Fi- 
nally : " Once I was young ; now I am old, and have never been 
forsaken ! " were the last words of testimony she left those pres- 
ent to bear witness to as she fell asleep in the Lord. 

What a blessed "going.'' for a life-long, zealous Christian 
who was left an orphan when only eight years of age (as 
seen and recorded in another chapter), with a rich uncle 
who would have clone anything for her if she had only mar- 
ried as he desired. Wliat an encouragement it holds forth to 
the living to trust everything to God, and simply follow as 
He may direct. 

Death had no sting or terror for her. She spoke calmly 
of the last rites to be observed over her remains, saying she 
would like to be buried like "Papa" (father), and asked my 
wife if the services would be held over her at the house, or in 
the church. When informed that the service would be held in 
the church, she smilingly said, Very well," and cheerfully re- 
signed herself from earth to heaven. 



The Last Hours. 



43 



Her last exhortation to myself was : " Be faithful, humble, 
meek, and constantly keep at the Master's feet until He calls 
you up higher. Be kind, gentle, and patiently forbearing with 
your sistei. In her discourse with my sister she was very anx- 
ious and urgent that her daughter would ultimately meet her 
parents in heaven, for which we pray. Her faith was great ; she 
had no fear or thought for self; her great concern was for the 
heavenly welfare of those around her. She spoke and acted as 
if her seat or place in the realm of bliss had been long secured 
to her — in that great faith she died, but not before, in her part- 
ing words, she had instructed me, - To gather up the books and 
tracts; to see that they were properly distributed, and that not 
one sheet be lost, so that the work would go on after she was 
gone." 

This second source of anxiety having been allayed, she raptur- 
ously extended her hands to meet the angels, and raising her- 
self up in bed, turned her head and raised her eyes as if to gaze 
upon the celestial messengers sent to bear her home, before she 
said to us : " Be faithful till the Master calls !" then grasping the 
hands reached out to hers, she was gone — gone from a Unite life 
into heavenly rest ! 

One or two other items I must note. In looking over 
my father's papers, I find that he kept a private diary (which 
forms a part of the contents of this work) of the texts and 
sermons he heard on the Sabbath, from the year 1S5S. to the 
Sabbath before he died, and much significance is given to 
one he heard you preach from the Book of Jude, 23d verse : 
"Hating even a garment spotted by the flesh." I feel con- 
fident that he grew in grace under the Word of Life con- 
veyed to him by you, and assisted by a close study of his own 
Bible. In his usual course of reading the Scriptures, he read on 
the day he was taken sick the 20th Psalm, though not permitted 
again to drink from the same fountain of Eternal Life, for he 
was going, unconsciously, -to realize the efficacy of the 21st 



44 



Gathering Jewels. 



Psalm — a favorite with him — and to receive the crown of gold 
and life everlasting. 

The general remarks of the outside world at the time fos- 
tered great interest in the fact of such peaceful " goings" from 
earth to heaven of two such worthy Christians, at dates so close 
to each other. 

Neither of them feared death. Both had lived and worked 
in harmony for the same great end. 

Both to be ultimately called up higher in one week and two 
hours of each other. 

William Knowles. 

I desire to supplement the foregoing account of the " Last 
Hours," by stating that when we reached the house of sickness 
and death, we found her son reading that precious portion of 
God's Word, the 14th chapter of St. John's Gospel, " Let not 
your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 
In my father's house are many mansions ; if it were not so I 
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you," etc. 
The scene was deeply affecting. Loved ones were gathered 
around the bedside. 

After reading the Scriptures, and prayer, we united in singing 
that well known hymn, 

Jesus, lover of my soul, 

Let me to Thy bosom fly, 
While the nearer waters roll, 

While the tempest still is high, 
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide, 

Till the storm of life be past ; 
Safe into the haven guide ; 

O receive my soul at last ! 

The dying missionary endeavored to join in the singing though 
extremely faint, and life's latest sun was sinking fast, for the 
hour of her departure had come, and she heard the voice that 



The Last Hours. 



45 



called her home, and at last she peacefully entered into that rest 
that remains for the people of God. 

Three thousand copies of the " Last Hours " were printed in 
pamphlet form and widely scattered over different parts of the 
country. And the Lord has been graciously pleased to bless 
their circulation to the spiritual edification of those who had the 
privilege of reading them. 

It was a singular coincidence that the last chapter read by the 
Elder was the same as the one selected by the minister as the 
Lesson of the Day, on the occasion of the celebration of the 
Jubilee exercises in honor of the noble and beloved Queen 
Victoria, in Westminster Abbey. 



CHAPTER V. 



THE DEAD WHO DIE IN THE LORD.* 

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die 
in the Lord from henceforth : Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors ; 
and their works do follow them.' 1 — Rev. xiv. 13. 

Elder James Knowles is at rest — sweet, sweet rest. It is 
the rest for which he sighed and for which he prayed. His 
favorite hymn was : 

O land of rest, for thee I sigh, 

When will the moment come, 
When I shall lay my armor by, 

And dwell in peace at home ? 

To keep an eye on the home above is consummate wisdom. 
Hence the injunction of the Holy Apostle, " Set your affec- 
tions on things above." This exercise of the heart can only 
be attained by first seeking an interest in the atoning blood 
and justifying righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

John looked, and, lo ! a Lamb (the Lamb of God) stood 
on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four 
thousand, having his Father's name (the new name) written in 
their foreheads, and I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice 
of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder : and I 
heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps : and they 
sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the 
four beasts and the elders: and no man could learn that song 

* The substance of a sermon preached in the Allen Street Presbyterian Church, New 
York City, October 25, 1886, on the occasion of the death of Elder James Knowles, who tri- 
umphantly fell asleep in Jesus, October 23, 1886, in the seventy-fifth year his age. 



The Dead who Die in the Lord. 



47 



but the four hundred and forty and four thousand, which were 
redeemed from the earth." Those who had here below re- 
demption through His blood, even the forgiveness of their 
sins, according to the riches of His grace. These are they 
w T ho keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus 
Christ. Concerning such is this solemn affirmation made, 
corroborated by the attestation of the Divine voice, that the 
dearly beloved John heard, saying, " Write, Blessed are the dead 
who die in the Lord." 

You know that the original signification of the word " blessed " 
means happy. In Christ's inimitable Sermon on the Mount He 
declares, "Happy are the beggars in spirit, for theirs is the king- 
dom of heaven." All the uninterrupted felicities of the glory land 
are theirs at the hour of dissolution. Their joy is augmented by 
the pure fellowship and friendship of the Saviour and the saints 
before the throne of the Eternal. 

There is a broad avenue opened up to the saved of pleas- 
ing and familiar intercourse with the general assembly, and 
the spirits of just men made perfect. They share the atten- 
tion and affection of the heavenly host, and are gladdened 
by the presence of Him who is the King eternal, immortal, 
but not now invisible, for they behold the King in his beauty. 

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." Death to 
the Christian is represented in the Scripture as a sleep. 
" Them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." He 
is redeemed from the power of death. " For Christ came to 
deliver them, who, through fear of death were all their life 
time subject to bondage." (Heb. ii. 15.) All believers, there- 
fore, need not dread death — he is a conquered enemy. And 
so every one of us who are here to day in Christ can say 
humbly, but truly, "O death, w T here is thy sting? O grave, 
where is thy victory ? " No Christian, however weak he may 
be, need fail to feel with Paul, and ask the same question, 
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? shall tribulation^ 



48 



Gathering Jewels, 



or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or 
sword ? . . . Nay in all these things we are more than con- 
querors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that 
neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, 
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, 
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love 
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

The last great conflict is inevitable, but the secret of a trium- 
phant departure from this life is found in the language of the 
" Faith Psalm," " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou art with me ; thy 
rod and thy staff they comfort me." It is not really death that 
we have to grapple with. It is only the shadow of death. We 
do not fear the shadow of a sword, or the shadow of a serpent. 
The above verse of the twenty-third Psalm is very frequently 
misquoted. It is called the dark valley. But you remember 
that when Bunyan's pilgrim came down to the valley it was not 
dark, for Jesus, the light, was with him. The sting of death is 
not simply concealed; it is completely destroyed by the death 
of Christ. He conquered the great enemy. " The sting of death 
is sin, the strength of sin is the law ; but thanks be unto God 
who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Thus understood, the Christian is truly blessed in his death. 
He cannot be separated from Christ, or from his symmetrically 
developed spiritual character. Death is not the extinction of 
being. We must make a distinction between natural and 
spiritual death. It is sin unforgiven that gives death his power. 
It is a fearful catastrophe to those out of Christ. Hence the holi- 
ness of others will not avail them at the hour of dissolution. 
" When the soul raves round the walls of its clay tenement, and 
runs to each avenue, and shrieks for help when no help can 
come," then the door of salvation is eternally shut. The last ray 
of hope is then forever faded. "There are no acts of pardon past 
in the cold grave to which we haste," Oh, let us not content 



The Dead who Die in the Lord. 



49 



ourselves with a mere external profession of Christianity. True 
wisdom consists in having the graces of the Holy Spirit in the 
heart. Walking day by day by faith in Jesus Christ, so that 
when the cry is made, " Behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye 
out to meet Him," we go forth with joy and not with grief. 

Scriptural facts concerning death go to show that it is not an 
unimportant event. To the soul who is found clothed not in his 
own righteousness which is of the law, but with the righteousness 
of the Redeemer, to die is gain, for precious in the sight of the 
Lord is the death of his saints (or holy ones). It is then the re- 
fining process is thoroughly completed. They are ready to be 
offered. The honor and favor of the Father is now about to be 
received. The union formed on earth is at death gloriously 
ratified in heaven. 

The obedience of Christ's death is fully realized to be laid to 
their account. The life and immortality brought to light by the 
Gospel is then permanently enjoyed. The clouds and mysteries 
that cluster around this earthly life are then dissipated. The 
full communion of the populace of glory is wonderfully experi- 
enced without interruption or restraint. The " conflict is over, 
and the prize is won." " Let me die the death of the righteous, 
and let my last end be like his." It is then we view the Divine 
glory, for this was a part of Christ's prayer: " Father, I will that 
they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that 
they may behold my glory." 

You see, then, how the believer is ushered into the beauties 
and blessedness of the beatic state. There is, therefore, nothing 
to be dreaded by the approach of the last enemy. For, says the 
prophet, He " will sw T allow up death in victory : and the Lord 
God will wipe away tears from off all faces ; and the rebuke 
of the people shall he take away from off all the earth ; for 
the Lord hath spoken it. It is by a realizaUon of his security in 
death that the believer in Jesus can calmly meditate on the hour 
of dissolution — that he is blest with longings for home ; that he 



Gathering Jewels. 



is soon to be delivered from the present evil world ; in short, 
that he is completely constituted an actuality in the Church 
triumphant. He is at last brought into intimate alliance 
with Christ, not now by faith but by sight, not by prayer, but 
by praise; not by earthly circumscribed anticipation, but by the 
power of unfathomable and constraining grace, and a deep 
sensibility of soul which springs from the knowledge that he is 
forever with the Lord ; now the strugglings of faith are ended. 

When Peter, James, and John beheld Christ transfigured on 
the summit of the mount, and as they gazed upon the glory of the 
scene, they said, " It is good to be here." It was a sight of Moses 
and Elias that enraptured their soul. That was only a transi- 
tory sight. But at death the Christian is admitted into endless 
glory. It is day without a night. It is to be admitted into the 
House of the Lord. " The house not made by hands, eternal in 
the heavens.' , Through much tribulation they enter into the 
kingdom. Soon shall close their earthly mission ; soon shall 
end their pilgrim days ; hope shall change to glad fruition. 
God is continually guiding our feet to those mansions above, 
where flowers that never fade do deck the heavenly plains. 
Where our loved ones gone before shall meet us and greet 
us on the golden strand. Many are the voices so sweet and 
tender, and true, who are calling us away to join the holy 
ones, that no man can number, who stand around the throne 
clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. The angels 
beckon us away to join their ranks. Truly blessed are the 
dead who die in the Lord. 

In the Treasury Hymnal there is a Pilgrim Song by Dr. Hora- 
tius Bonar, and the music is from Beethoven; it is very sweet 
and cheering in this connection : 

A few more years shall roll, a few more seasons come, 
And we shall be with those that rest asleep within the tomb. 
Then, oh, my Lord, prepare my soul for that great day, 
Oh, wash me in my Saviour's blood, and take my sins away. 



The Dead who Die in the Lord. 



We truly spend our years as a tale that is told. But in heaven- 
ly love abiding, no change my heart shall fear. How precious 
is this thought ; though friend after friend depart, " For who has 
not lost a friend ? " What though the storm of bereavement and 
affliction howl without ? Still, amid it all, the unbounded, un- 
comprehended love of God changeth never. 

Though our days are determined, and the number of our 
months are with God ; " though He hath appointed the bounds 
that He cannot pass, yet He will hide us in the grave; He will 
keep us secret until His wrath upon the ungodly is past." We 
read, however, His power to redeem and deliver His elect, 
even amid the wreck and ruin of years and the gloom of the 
grave, for Christ is the resurrection and the life. 

There is rest, yonder ; only just across the river. It is only a 
narrow stream. k> This is not my place of resting ; mine's a city 
yet to come ; onward to it I am hastening ; on to my eternal 
home." k> I go to prepare a place for you," said Jesus. Xo 
threatening danger or death there. It is no desert dreary. It is 
freedom from pain and weariness, from sin and sadness, in the 
dominions of the Bridegroom. For He says, " I have betrothed 
thee unto me forever ; I have betrothed thee in righteousness, 
in the judgment, in loving kindness, and in mercy, and in faith- 
fulness." 

kk In the Lord." How significant the words. It is to have the 
infinite arms of love and power encircling us. It is not to re- 
ceive the spirit of bondage again to fear. It is to rise above 
the uncertainties of this life to the realities of that land where 
congregations ne'er break up, and Sabbaths have no end. 
Linked to the eternal, never broken chain of God's goodness, 
what can affright ? Can the consolation of God be small with 
those who are His, when we are informed that He will ransom 
His people from the power of the grave ? Shortly it will be all 
over with you in your pilgrimage journey. Watch and wait, 
therefore, for the coming of the King. 



52 



Gathering Jewels. 



On earth, here and now, those who die in the Lord have 
attentively listened to His kind remonstrances, concerning 
reconciliation and entire renunciation of every false hope of 
heaven only through faith in the name of Jesus. They realize 
that God's methods of mercy are peculiarly calculated to impart 
peace in the hour of sickness and death. They see the city 
which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God, where 
the inhabitants say, "I am sick, I am weary no more." They 
know that their Redeemer liveth, and though worms may 
destroy the body, yet in their flesh they shall see God. They 
know there are realms where 

The voices of song never cease 'neath a burden of tears, 
And the music falls sweet from those radiant spheres. 

God's children on earth are remarkable for their love to 
Christ and His Church, and delight to meditate on the glories 
of heaven. Hence when death comes they are prepared to 
enter upon their purchased possessions, for which they habitu- 
ally awaited with bright anticipations, knowing full well that He 
that had promised is able also to perform. 

" Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven, but He that doeth the will of 
my Father which is in heaven." " For to be carnally minded is 
death (death eternal), but to be spiritually minded is life and 
peace." 

Henry says, " The Providence that removes God's saints has 
a loved voice which crieth in the city to the survivors. The death 
of the saints speaketh the evil of sin. It is owing to that they 
die, for "the body is dead because of sin." It speaks the vani- 
ties of life, and of all its delights and enjoyments ; for if the 
favorites of heaven are dying daily, and going out of this worlo^ 
it is a sign that the things of this world are not the best things, 
else those whom God loves best would not be taken soonest 
from them. It speaks that all things come alike to all, and that 



The Dead who Die in the Lord. 



53 



one event happeneth to the righteous and to the wicked, " so 
that none knows love or hatred by all that is before him in 
this world. But he that would know it must look before him in- 
to the invisible world. Lay your ears this day to the coffins and 
graves of departed saints, who though they do not pray for 
us, yet preach to us in the words of Christ, " Be ye also ready." 
(Matt. xxiv. 44.) They are gone, and we are going ; their glass 
is run out, and ours is running ; and therefore it concerns us to 
daily die unto sin, and be alive to holiness, standing on the watch- 
tower, like the sentinel, with " loins girt," and " lamps burning," 
knowing that it is not the stroke, but the sting of death from 
which the imputed righteousness of the Redeemer delivers. 

God's saints are like a green olive-tree, in the house of God. 
because they trust in His manifold mercy. They are like trees 
planted by the rivers of water, and whose leaf shall never fade. 
While death can lay his cold and icy hand upon the Christian's 
body, yet his soul he can never touch. While God destroys the 
wicked at death, and plucks him out of his dwelling-place, and 
roots him out of the land of the living, yet to die in the Lord is 
to sing with the Psalmist, " I will not be afraid," " I will render 
praises unto thee, for thou hast delivered my soul from death," 
" and thou shalt bring me up again from the depths of the 
earth." 

Heaven is propitious. Streaming love flows from the foun- 
tain of Divine compassion. " God so loved the world that He 
gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth on Him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life." Oh, this constant 
untiring love of our kind heavenly father. " Scarcely," says Paul, 
" for a righteous man will one die : yet, peradventure, for a good 
man some would even dare to die ; but God commendeth his 
love toward us in that while wa were yet sinners Christ died for 
us." If we would die in the Lord, we must get a sight of Cal- 
vary. He has died that we might live. We must behold His 
Dierced hands and feet and side. It is this sight that saves. 



54 



Gathering Jewels. 



Not all the blood of goats and bulls, 

On Jewish altars slain, 
Can give the guilty conscience peace, 

Or wash away the stain. 
But Christ, the heavenly Lamb, 

Takes all our guilt away. 

It is the free gift of grace that, through saving faith, that will 
hold us until this short life is past, and then when we come to the 
river of death, like our dear Elder, we will reach our home safely. 
"Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound, that as 
sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through 
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." 

Are we all who are here to-day to this funeral in the Lord — " I 
in them and thou in me ? " , Perhaps, some have been living at a 
distance from Him. Others may have been grieving the Holy 
Spirit. The Master has come (by this death) and calls for thee. 
He is standing to-day at the door of thy heart knocking and say- 
ing, " If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come 
in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." No friend 
so forgiving, so gentle as he. Oh, wilt thou let Him depart ? 
Patiently waiting, earnestly pleading, Jesus thy Saviour knocks 
at thine heart. Is there some idol that you are cherishing ? Is 
there some secret, darling sin to which you are clinging ? Oh, 
what wilt thou do in the swellings of Jordan without an interest 
in the atoning work of Jesus ? Are you still slighting the Sav- 
iour ? He waits for thee. How tender the look. He says unto 
you as he said to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, "How often 
would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth 
her chickens under her wings, but ye would not." 

Christ alone is our true Shechem, our City of Refuge. He is 
the living well of Jacob and the rifled tomb of Joseph. Isaiah 
says, " A man shall be as an hiding-place from the wind and a 
covert from the tempest, as rivers of water in a dry place, and - 
as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." What bound- 



The Dead who Die in the Lord. 



less resources are found in Christ. We are guilty, but He 
atoned for our guilt ; He paid the ransom price ; He engaged in 
the great work of paying the penalty due to our sin, for He was 
made sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the 
righteousness of God in Him. " We could never have been 
saved without Divine interference, save from going down to the 
pit, for I have found a ransom," was the declaration of the stu 
pendous wealth of God's free love. For it is a faithful saying, 
and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the 
world to save sinners, even the very chief. The mysteries of 
redeeming love are solved at Golgotha. 

Listen to the sweet singer of Israel as he surveys the admin- 
istration of mercy seen anticipatively at the Cross : 

I love the Lord, because my voice 

And prayer He did hear ; 
I, while I live, will call on Him 

Who bowed to me His ear. 

He was greatly encouraged to serve God in view of the alliance 
and assistance of Jehovah towards the redemption of Israel. In 
the fortieth Psalm he illustrates this thought still further : 

I waited for the Lord my God, 

And patiently did bear. 
He took me from the fearful pit, 

And from the miry clay, 
And on a Rock He set my feet, 

Establishing my way. 

The nature of salvation is the same all the world over. The 
scheme is sovereign. The objects are poor, helpless sinners. 
The results are ever the same, namely, the forgiveness of sin — 
justification by faith alone; and then, at last, an abundant en- 
trance is afforded into the beautiful mansions of light, where 
friendship is changeless and carkering care is unknown, and no 
more pale faces with mute hearts breaking every day. Yonder 



Gathering Jewels. 



we shall be clad in the beauteous wedding garments of the 
King. 

To die in the Lord will be an ample equivalent for all of 
earth's sorrows and difficulties. In the meantime, we must con- 
tinually say concerning such providences as the present, " Draw 
me, we will run after thee. Awake, O north wind and come 
thou, south, and blow upon my garden that the spices thereof 
may flow out." This loss will work together for our good if we 
hear His voice. It calls us to the necessary duty of immediate 
decision. We must not halt any longer between two opinions. 
If the Lord be God follow Him, but if Baal be your God follow 
him no longer. But please remember that the wages of sin is 
death. You are called to decide for Christ, to decide for heaven, 
by this sad bereavement. He draws you with the cords of love 
as with the bands of a man. Will you rurr after Him ? 

There is no one can help you in the hour of death and the 
judgment but Jesus. Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. 
Yield, oh! yield to His call! Say yes, "My beloved is mine and 
I am His; He feedeth among the lilies until the daybreak, and 
the shadows flee away." Oh ! turn your eyes upwards : 

Where high the heavenly temple stands, 
The house of God not made with hands, 
A great High Priest our nature wears, 
The guardian of mankind, appears. 

If we would die in the Lord, we must recognize Christ, not 
only as having died that we might live, but also as having 
triumphed over the grave, and is now sitting at the right hand 
of God making continual intercession for us. By day and by 
night He pleads our cause. Don't try to get to heaven by the 
intercession of saints or angels. Christ alone is the Great High 
Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Disobedience in this 
direction will prove disastrous. 

Say, " who is this that cometh from Edom with dyed garments, 
from Bozrah travelling in the greatness of His strength ? " I that 



The Dead who Die in the Lord. 



57 



speak in righteousness, mighty to save. This is your Daysman, 
your Mediator. He hath opened a fountain for sin and unclean- 
ness. 

Five bleeding wounds He bears, 

Received on Calvary, 
Now pour effectual prayers 

And strongly speak for thee. 

If you would die like our dear Brother Knowles, in the Lord, 
then to-day behold His wounded hands and side. We have 
all sinned against God and abused His mercy ; but, oh, let 
us to-day consecrate ourselves to Christ, and like the prodigal 
son say, " I will arise and go to my father." Christ is our great 
representative before the throne. Oh, that He would ever teach 
us to offer this prayer : 

Lord God of Hosts, my prayer hear ; 

O Jacob's God, give ear ! 
See God, our shield, look on the face 

Of thine anointed dear. 

I tell you, my friends, we do not want any new school the- 
ology. The holy religion of our fathers is good enough for me. 
Here it is a loving father, a crucified and triumphant and plead- 
ing saviour for us poor, miserable and helpless sinners, and a 
Home beyond the flood. 

I will arise now and go about the city, in the streets, on the 
cars, in the workshop, on the ship, on the sea and land where- 
ever God may guide my wandering footsteps through each 
perplexing path of life. And I will seek Him whom my soul 
loveth. 

They rest from their labors and their works do follow them c 
The Psalmist says that our strength is labor and sorrow. The 
more we toil for Christ and His church the more we honor Him 
and become fruit-bearers. By a constant course of activity and 
devotedness for the welfare of fallen humanity, the capacities of 



5« 



Gathering J ewels. 



the soul are greatly enlarged, and we apprehend more fully the 
fact that God hath put the treasure in earthen vessels, that the 
excellency of the power may be of God and not of man. Some- 
times, too, our good will be evil spoken of and attributed to sel- 
fish motives. We may be traduced by tongues which neither 
know our faculties nor our person. 'Tis but the rough road that 
virtue must go through. We must not allow any discourage- 
ments or censure to retard our aggressive work, remembering 
constantly that the Master was accused of having a devil, and 
that he cast out devils by the power of Beelzebub. Oh, what 
wrong ideas men have of the great work of saving souls. What 
prejudices, what indifference, what neglect, what lukewarmness 
have the true servants of Christ to encounter as they earnestly 
toil in transplantng souls into the vineyard of the Lord. 

The life of Christ on earth was a life of generous labor ; and 
when He called His disciples, He said, " Follow me, and I will 
make you fishers of men." Kempis, in his " Imitation of Christ," 
says, " by the words of Christ we are taught to imitate His life 
and manner, if we would be truly enlightened and be delivered 
from all blindness of heart. " " Learn of me," said Jesus, as well 
as " Come unto me. I have set the Lord always before me, said 
David. W T hat a glorious thing it is for the servant of Christ 
to know that he is earnestly engaged in the work of His Master. 
It is our labors of love that alone meets with the smile and ap- 
probation of God, for He is cognizant of everything we try 
to accomplish for His cause on earth. Oh, that we may say 
from the heart, I must work the works of Him that sent me ; 
the night cometh when no man can work." 

The trees of the Lord are full of sap, they are fat and 
flourishing. We are all familiar with the work of blessed bene- 
ficence of Howard, the great philanthropist, and Henry Martyn, 
the self-denying missionary. To be a true Christian, then, 
requires a life of toil. " For man goeth forth unto the work 
and to his labor until the evening." How sweet, then, is rest 



The Dead who Die m the Lord. 



59 



tc the laboring man. When the harvest is gathered in. A har- 
vest of souls for Christ. Here am I, Lord, and the children 
which thou hast given me. Paul said that I may so preach and 
labor that I may present every one of you perfect before God. 
This is no mean toil. What prayers. What watching. What toil. 
What tears. Ah ! but at eventide it shall be light. Strange 
language. 

What a beautiful and touching description does Burns give, 
in his " Cottar's Saturday Night," of the sweet rest and joy 
that springs into the soul when the weary work is over. He 
says : 

The toil-worn cottar frae his labor goes, 
This night his weekly moii is at an end, 

Collects his spades, his mattocks and his hoes, 
Hoping the morn in ease and rest to spend, 
And weary o'er the moor his course does hameward bend. 

The next stanza can be truly applied to our Elder in his 
Christian experience : 

The parent pair their secret homage pay, 
And proffer up to heaven the warm request, 

That He who stills the raven's clamorous nest, 
And decks the lily fair in flowery pride, 

Would in His way His Wisdom see the best, 
For them and for their little ones provide, 
But chiefly in their hearts with grace Divine reside. 

I think this is the most descriptive, and true, and touching 
scene of a Christian man's experience that can be found in any 
language. Burns knew how to touch the tender chord of a 
human heart. " An honest man's the noblest work of God." 
"They rest from their labor and their works do follow them." 

Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, says, "Beloved, we are 
persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany 
salvation, though we thus speak : For God is not unright- 



6o 



Gathering Jewels. 



eous to forget your work, and the love which He showed 
unto His name." 

Listen, then, to this sweet, silent voice calling us to go and do 
likewise. 

Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? It is to a life of toil, 
not of indolence, we are called. The fields are white already, 
unto harvest. Who will bear the sheaves away ? Who among 
our young men in this congregation will take the place of El- 
der Knowles ? Can you be engaged in a grander or nobler 
work ? He that winneth souls is wise. Is there any purer 
pleasure in this world than the joy that is experienced in the 
heart when souls are converted to God ? Oh, young men, 
deeply meditate on that precious passage. He that converteth 
a sinner from the error of his ways, doth save a soul from 
death, and doth hide a multitude of sins. Are not the oppor- 
tunities great in this city for doing good ? Is not the wick- 
edness great ? Are not souls perishing around you for lack of 
knowledge ? Resolve, from this day, that, God helping you, you 
will dedicate all your powers of heart, soul, and strength to the 
blessed service of Christ. You are not your own. You have 
been saved, that you may save others by pulling them out of the 
fire. Haste then, haste to the rescue. Souls may perish, and 
go down to hell, while you are deliberating. 

I remember, years ago, while coming into New York Harbor, 
w T e lost a very promising young man overboard. The life-boat 
was launched, and the life-buoy was cut adrift. But through 
some delay, the young man perished. What a tremendous dis- 
appointment those parents experienced as they stepped on board 
the frigate at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and learned that their 
darling boy had found a watery grave. 

I never think of the above sad occurrence but I am forcibly 
reminded that through the delays and sad neglect of Christian 
parents and Sabbath-school teachers, many young persons per- 
ish, and I inquire. Who is responsible for their destruction ? 



The Dead who Die in the Lord. 



61 



Many ask the question that Cain impudently put to the Lord, 
"Am I my brother's keeper?" We can be guilty of other 
men's sins. This is a mysterious fact, but it is nevertheless true. 
If you are an idler in the Master's vineyard, you are, to a cer- 
tain extent, responsible. Oh, that the Holy Spirit would show 
us our duty to our fellow-men. 

Our departed brother realized this truth. Just look at a man 
seventy-five years old, occupied every Lord's Day teaching 
a large class of youth in the Sabbath-school. But you must 
remember that for six days in the week he nobly toiled as a 
printer, from eight in the morning until six at night. And he 
seldom missed the prayer-meeting, or other gatherings of the 
Church. He was, indeed, a worker that needeth not to be 
ashamed. 

In the absence of the pastor he frequently led the prayer- 
meeting, and his expositions of the chapter read as the lesson of 
the night were very scriptural, cheering, and full of encourage- 
ment. 

He was familiarly acquainted with the Word of God, and his 
prayers were earnest, solemn, and to the point, because his soul 
was surcharged with Divine truth. 

It is no wonder, then, that everybody loved him — his young 
men in the various Bible-classes especially. Eternity alone 
will reveal the amount of good he accomplished by his kind, 
gentle, meek, cheerful, and quiet spirit. 

Servant of Christ, well done ; you rest from your labor, and 
your works do follow you. 

Let us look at his work as a ruling Elder of the Church of 
Christ. 

Paul, in writing to Timothy, says: " Let the elders that rule 
well, be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who 
labor in the word and doctrine" (i Timothy v. 17). An elder 
is one who rules the house of God. They are, therefore, the 
magistrates of the Church. They are to administer the laws of 



62 



Gathering Jeivels. 



His holy sanctuary. How great and important this work. Who 
is sufficient for these things ? The pastor, in apostolic times, 
was called an elder. But as an under-shepherd his labors are 
greatly assisted and augmented by the hearty co-operation of a 
judicious selection of men filled with the spirit of God, and duly 
ordained for their work. Men who recognize among their fel- 
lows no moral superiority, but that spiritually-mindedness that 
flows from prayer and the study of God's Word. Their work is 
immortal. Their duties are great. But their peculiar privileges 
are greater — to rule well the House of God. 

It is, certainly, a sad sight to see men filling this sacred office 
without the requisite qualifications. The negotiations between 
man and man are so stupendous, that it is not every member of 
the Church who is fitted for this responsible work. We ought 
to study adaptation in the selection and ordination of ruling 
them. 

Every time I looked in the face of Elder Knowles, I was 
deeply impressed with the thought that no blunder had been 
committed when he was chosen and set apart in this line of 
Apostolic toil. For he was a good soldier of Jesus Christ. 

He knew full well how to rule his owl spirit, and he that can 
do that is more mighty than he who taketh a city. Self must 
be slain by the sword of the spirit, if we would lead the army 
of the Lord on to victory. Hence the solemn injunction of 
Paul : " I charge thee before God, and the elect angels, that 
thou observe these things without preferring one before an- 
other, doing nothing by partiality. . . . Lay hands sud- 
denly on no man" (i Timothy, v. 21-22). 

We commend, for attentive perusal and prayerful reflection, 
the qualification of an elder, as laid down by Paul, and elabo- 
rated by the holy McCheyne, strictly germane to the life of 
Elder James Knowles. 

They are fundamental requisites. The good McCheyne, of 
St. Peter's, Dundee, says: " I feel, brethren, that a minister alone 



The Dead who Die in the Lord. 



63 



is incapable of ruling the House of God well. If a minister h 
to thrive in his own soul, he must be half of his time on his knees; 
and therefore, if Christ's house is to be ruled well, there must 
not only be pastors, but there must be ruling elders. " 

" The first qualification is grace. Grace in the heart. If it 
be a qualification in a church member that he should have grace, 
then much more ought it to be a qualification in one who rules 
the Church of God. How is it possible for him to admit any 
to the Lord's table, when he is but a judge himself?" How is 
it possible to excommunicate, when he ought to be excommuni- 
cated himself ? So, brethren, a graceless elder is a curse in- 
stead of a blessing. 

We can safely say our dear departed elder had grace. This 
was remarkably developed in his Christian character. Patience 
found a permanent home in his heart. It occupied a significantly 
prominent place there, and was strenuously cultivated. It was 
copied and commented upon by all who knew him, and uni- 
formly evoked universal favor and approval by the various 
ministers and sessions of the different Presbyterian churches in 
this city, in which he was an elder. 

He had many trials, and we think he could say with Paul, 
in his letter to the Church at Rome : " We glory in tribulation, 
also knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience 
experience." 

It seems they had some )ittle misunderstanding in the ses- 
sion of one of the churches to which he (our elder) formerly 
belonged. And some remark made by the elder to the pastor 
was so cutting, that the minister said unless the elder would 
take back what he said, that next Sabbath he would tender his 
resignation to the congregation. 

The elder replied that he would not take it back for him. To 
preserve harmony, and be a peacemaker, Elder Knowles stepped 
up to his brother in the session, and asked him if he would not 
take it back for. his sake, and. the sake of the blessed Jjsus. At 



6 4 



Gathering Jewels. 



this, the elder said, with tears in his eyes, " Yes, James, for 
your sake, I will take it back." Perhaps the minister was partly 
to blame, and also the elder, but by having the grace of patience, 
not only was a reconciliation brought about, the pastor was re- 
tained, and permitted to resume his work, and precious souls 
were added to the Church. Oh, how much trouble and scandal 
might be averted in some of the churches if our elders and dea- 
cons and church members would only strive to cultivate the 
grace of patience. 

We have great need of this grace in our hearts, as we work for 
the Master. May the Holy Spirit work it in us, for, as Paul 
says : " Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the 
will of God, ye might receive the promise " (Heb. x. 36). 

The life of a ruling elder in the Church, and in the world, is 
like the erection of a beautiful building. Great patience is re- 
quisite, in order to bring it to a successful completion. So, as a 
wise master buildeth for eternity, we most build the structure 
of Christian character upon the apostles and prophets, Jesus 
Christ, Himself, being the chief corner-stone. What a model 
of patience is Jesus. What difficulties He encountered. What 
trials clustered around Him. What provocations he meekly en- 
dured All through His life, and even amid His unutterable 
agonies on the Cross on Mount Calvary, when His body was 
shedding the last drop of blood to seal the mysterious work of 
redemption, even then, amid mockings and scoffings, and tort- 
ures, the sacred lips of the Crucified Christ uttered this prayer 
for his enemies, " Father, forgive them, for they know not what 
they do " (Luke xxiii. 34). 

The dear Master considered this prayer essential before He 
could conscientiously exclaim, " Consummatum est" — It is con- 
summated, or finished. Our dear elder was like his Lord in 
this respect. He could say, with Newton, 

" Christ's way was much rougher and darker than mine, 
Did Christ, my Lord, suffer, and shall I repine ? " 



The Dead who Die in the Lord. 



65 



Again, another qualification in a ruling elder is wisdom. " Be 

ye wise as serpents," said Jesus, " and harmless as doves." Are 

all these professing Christians wise ? Are all elders wise ? Are 
all ministers wise ? Dr. Bonar says : 

Be wise and use thy wisdom well. 
Be what thou seemest. Live thy creed ; 
Be what thou prayest to be made. 
Lift o'er the earth the torch Divine, 
Let the great Master's steps be thine. 

Blessed words these. Who can read them without thanking 
God for such words and such men, that our kind Father above 
raises up to instruct us in these things that pertain to our ever- 
lasting well-being ? For all well-being is the result of well- 
doing in time and in eternity. 

Who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge among you, 
let him show, out of a good conversation, his works with meek- 
ness of wisdom. This meekness of wisdom Elder Knowles pre- 
eminently possessed. The psalmist says, concerning such : 
" The meek shall inherit the land. And shall delight them- 
selves in abundance of peace. Strike, said Diogenes, to his in- 
structor, Antichenes, the philosopher ; but you will find no staff 
so hard that it will drive me away from your school. I love you, 
and I have made up my mind to suffer anything for the sake of 
learning." This yearning desire on the part of the true elder after 
fitness for his office, ought to be willing to bear reproach for the 
sake of Him who died, that we might live. There is great wis- 
dom displayed in bearing the Cross meekly for Jesus. If we 
stfffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him. 

It is a blessed thing to suffer in love for Christ. To bear in- 
justice and conquer. Herein is consummate wisdom displayed. 
" If ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, 
and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from 
above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envy and 



66 



Gathering Jewels. 



strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wis- 
dom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, 
and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without 
partiality, and without hypocrisy" (James iii. 14-17). 

But the wisdom of the elder now lying before us in the coffin 
was displayed not only in his meekness, but in his gentleness of 
disposition. 

His wife used to say, " Why, he is just like a child. So gen- 
tle and peaceable. So easily intreated." I remember quoting 
that hymn at the prayer meeting: 

I want to be like Jesus, 

Meek, lowly, loving, mild ; 
I want to be like Jesus — 

The Father's holy child. 

And at the close of the meeting he shook me warmly by the 
hand, and the sentiment in the stanza seemed to give him un- 
speakable pleasure. 

Once more, another qualification for the eldership that our 
deceased brother possessed, was, that he had a good report from 
without. (See 1 Timothy, iii. 7.) Our dearly beloved was not 
only highly esteemed for his work's sake by the members of the 
churches and the various pastors, as their letters in this volume 
testify, but his walk and conversation was such in the outside 
world, that his fellow-workmen, and those who lived in the 
same house with him, and had opportunity to know him, learned 
to revere and love him. You know the eyes of the world are 
constantly watching the Christian. I notice on the casket to- 
day a lovely bouquet of flowers, and I read on the card: "Pres- 
ented to James Knowles, by the printers where he was for years 
employed. " 

This is, certainly, a token of esteem to the memory of him 
with whom they were long so affectionately associated. 

In every professional life there are daily occurrences that try 



The Deci( 7 w ho Die in the Lord. 



67 



men's tempers. But by the grace of God, our brother was en- 
abled to adorn the doctrine of God, our Saviour, and to live un- 
spotted from the world. As all elders have to mingle more 
with the world than a minister, how essential it is that the out- 
side world should see that their walk and conversation be as 
becometh the Gospel of Christ. 

Again: another qualification of an elder, is, that " he should 
be a prayerful man." Our brother had all through life culti- 
vated a spirit of prayer. This " is the Christian's vital breath." 
It was his habit to shut himself up in his room, and pour out his 
soul in earnest supplication to God. He prayed in his family, as 
well as in the church. He had secret prayer. " And thou, when 
thou prayest, enter into thy closet ?" said Jesus. Oh, the power 
of prayer is marvellous. He prayed audibly. And his wife used 
to say of him: " He pjeads with God as one pleadi?ig for his 
life" 

When he became so weak that he was unable longer to testify 
for Christ on his death-bed, his loved ones bending over him, 
and putting their ears down to his lips to catch his last articula- 
tions, they heard him praying, not for himself, but for Allen 
Street Presbyterian Church and its minister. 

Lastly, an elder ought to cultivate the habit of systematic bene- 
ficence for the support of the Gospel. This, our brother was con- 
stantly in the habit of doing. He remembered the injunction, 
" It is more blessed to give than to receive." It is worthy of 
observation that, during the three years during which his son 
was out in the late war, he paid monthly the pew rent for his boy 
during his absence, until at last his pastor would not allow him 
to do it longer. 

Oh, that all of our office-bearers and church members would 
feel it their duty to give largely and in a worshipful spirit to the 
cause of their Redeemer, as the Lord has prospered them. 

Blessed are such dead who die in the Lord ; they rest from 
their labors, and their works do follow them. 



68 



Gatheri?ig few els. 



Man cannot cover what <5od can reveal. Says the poet Camp- 
bell : 

'Tis the sunset of life gives me mystical lore, 
And coming events cast their shadows before. 

Their works do follow them. Where ? On to the judgment. 
Where selfish ambition and avarice will be exposed in its true 
light. Where " man's inhumanity to man " will be thoroughly 
scrutinized. For the books will be opened, and we will be judged 
according to our works. 

In that great and awful day when the great white throne is 
erected, and when the heavens shall be removed as a scroll, 
when it is rolled up ; and every mountain and island shall be 
removed out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and 
the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, 
shall hide themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the 
mountains ; and they shall say to the mountains and the rocks, 
Fall on us, and hide us from the. face of Him who sitteth on 
the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day 
of His wrath is come : and who is able to stand ? 

Oh, let us remember that now broken hearts can be healed 
by the power of the Gospel of Christ. Their works do follow 
them. Yonder? Yes! Here? Yes! The salutary influence for 
good by the consistent life of our elder can never be lost or 
forgotten. 

We lay our brother's body to-day in Cypress Hills Cemetery, 
but his spirit hovers o'er us. 

This tenement of dust is empty, but Jesus says: " I am the res- 
urrection and the life." 

We have deep feelings to-day, for we realize that we have 
lost a friend. "No more. "God bless you, my brother, in your 
work." No more shall we see you at the prayer-meeting. Fare- 
well, dear elder and co-worker. We say farewell but not for- 
ever. " We shall meet beyond the river." 



The Dead who Die in the Lord. 



6g 



And God grant 

That we may stand before the throne, 

When earth and seas are fled ; 
And hear the Judge pronounce our name, 

With blessings on our head. 

God's voice, by this solemn dispensation of His providence, 
speaks loudly to us all. May our faith in God be greatly 
strengthened. May our love for perishing souls be made more 
deeper and stronger. May God help us to go out into the 
streets and lanes of this wicked city, and constrain them to 
come in, that His house may be full. 

And God grant that this deep affliction which this church has 
sustained may be the means, in the hands of the Spirit, of con- 
straining us to have more earnest and believing prayer, for the 
manifestation of His power to save unto the uttermost. That 
Jesus may see, of the travail of His soul, and be abundantly 
satisfied. 

To the bereaved son and daughters, and grandchildren, who 
are left behind, let me affectionately commend you to the un- 
changing love of Him who sympathized with the sorrowing sis- 
ters of Bethany. Put all your trust in His dear name. Serve 
Him from day to day, by reading His blessed Bible, and hold- 
ing sweet communion with Him, by prayer and supplication, 
that at last when God shall call for you to leave this stage of 
action, you may go to meet your dear ones in the happy home 
above, and sit with them at the " marriage supper of the 
Lamb." — Amen. 



CHAPTER VI. 

A BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE ALLEN STREET 
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 

How lovely is thy dwelling-place, 

O Lord of hosts to me, 
The tabernacles of thy grace, 

How pleasant, Lord, they be. 

"Glorious things of thee are spoken, O city of God." This 
saying can be emphatically applied to the above church, for 
the living truths proclaimed from her pulpit have saved and 
sanctified many sons and daughters, and clad in the beaute- 
ous garments of Prince Immanuel, have gone forth to other 
churches and to other lands, to lead thousands to the same 
Saviour that they had found. 

Let us glance at its oiigin. 

While Christ is the head of the Church, the tried corner-stone 
elect and precious, yet his members are the living stones, and 
have built up a spiritual house unto the Lord. The portion of 
" Zion " to which we have reference, originated on the corner 
of Catharine Street, near Madison Street. It was duly organ- 
ized on Wednesday, May 28, 181 9. 

The seal of the church is an open Bible, and the words Holy 
Bible upon it, with the inscription surrounding it : " Allen Street 
Presbyterian Church. ' ' 

The location of the place of worship was changed to Allen 
Street in 1823. 

The Rev. Ward Stafford was appointed by the New York Fe- 



Brief Historical Sketch of the Allen Street Church. 71 



male Missionary Society, who nobly toiled, and was succeeded 
by the Rev. William Gray. During the first year of its history, 
twenty-one members were added to the church-roll, and as an 
expression of her unfeigned gratitude to God for this mark of 
kindness she became the mother of the same number of minis- 
ters of the Gospel, who were called and commissioned, and 
who have courageously proclaimed the unsearchable riches of 
Christ, in distant parts of the country. Among them was the 
present pastor of the Church of Sea and Land, Rev. Dr. Hopper. 
It is worthy of observation that this church has been able to pay 
its running expenses by voluntary contributions. 

In a historical discourse delivered by Rev. George O. Phelps, 
he says : 

" It is a source of untold satisfaction in this day of presump- 
tuous spires or burdensome church debts, that the Allen Street 
Presbyterian Church has no such encumbrance — not one dollar 
of mortgage rests upon it ; that at the close of each fiscal year, 
by means of the voluntary system, and the kindly aid of friends 
interested in the prosperity of the church, and the maintenance 
of the preached word in this part of the city, all obligations 
are fully discharged. 

" For this, we most heartily thank our God to-day, whose fa- 
vor is thus constant. 

" True as it is, that this church can be regarded at no period 
as among the affluent — as there are those to-day who expend 
more for church music than our entire congregational expenses, 
so there have ever been those who could drop into the treasury 
of a single board, in a single year, more than all our contribu- 
tions to benevolent objects during fifty years, we hope it may be 
equally true that we have been most definitely, spiritually pro- 
nounced. 

" Whatever may be said of her ecclesiastical loyalty, the evi- 
dences are numerous of fervent loyalty to Christ, in doctrine, in 
the word preached, in influence exerted, in means used for the 



Gathering Jewels. 



extension of His kingdom, and of consequent fidelity to man 
touching questions of social and of national importance. 

"A not unimportant element of influence and success, next 
to a becoming spirituality, is the social-religious element. This 
is proverbial of the Allen Street Church." 

Not to refer to the regular weekly prayer-meeting in this 
connection would do great violence to a complete record 
as well as harm to many a saint in Israel. For years this meet- 
ing has been a great power in Christian life and work. Hun- 
dreds maybe said to date their first serious impression, and very 
many their conversion, to the scenes of that hour and place ; 
and how perennial its influence, and refreshing upon the host of 
God's people. 

Among the most prominent pastors of this church, we may 
mention the Rev. Henry White, D.D., regularly installed March, 
1829. He resigned March 9, 1837, and became the first Pro- 
fessor of Systematic Theology in the Union Theological Semin- 
ary, New York City. He died August 25, 1850, aged fifty years, 
A man of decided character. 

Rev. George B. Cheever, D.D., was installed October 10, 
1839, and was dismissed April 24, 1844. He afterward be- 
came the pastor of the Church of the Puritans on Union Square. 
He now resides at Englewood, N. J., a man of vast resources, 
both personal and acquired, eloquent and effective in address, in 
views extremely radical. 

Rev. David Benton Coe, D.D., was installed October 14, 1844. 
He was dismissed May 13, 1849. He became one of the secre- 
taries of the American Home Missionary Society. He was of a 
retiring habit, scholarly attainment, instructive as a preacher, 
and devoted and sympathizing as a pastor. 

Rev. Dr. Newell was installed February 8, i860. His pastor- 
ate ceased February 2, 1874, being the longest pastorate of the 
church, embracing one quarter of its history. 

In this brother the pastor and the evangelist were happily 



Brief Historical Sketch of the Allen Street Church. 



united. Of deep sympathies, ardent in faith, Christ crucified 
became the one theme of his ministry. He was second to 
none in religious zeal, and untiring in effort. 

Each succeeding ministry has not been wanting in the evi- 
dences of the Spirit, in which the being of the church seems 
to have been cast. 

The pastorate of Mr. Lucas, for example, deserves more 
than a passing notice. It was marked by two interesting 
works of grace : one soon after his coming to the field (1855). 
and that of 1858. During these seasons not a few of the 
best friends of Allen Street were brought to Christ. 

Not all were equally favored, however, with beholding what 
men too often regard exclusively as signs of success. In il- 
lustration of this, it is enough to suggest that the loss expe- 
rienced yearly during a large period of her history has by no 
means been supplied through additions by letter. This source 
of gain alone would not have spared her the extinction which 
early threatened the church through removals. On the con- 
trary, as previously observed, the balance has been favorable 
through all these years of depletion — a monument to the grace 
of God in no general sense. 

Perhaps it may not be disparaging to say that the revival 
period of the church is embraced in the pastorate of Dr. New- 
ell, the fourteen years of which were distinguished for their 
revival spirit. I think it may be truthfully said, that he would 
have deemed his own ministry a miserable failure in the absence 
of revival seasons. 

With two exceptions each year of his ministry was marked 
with ingathering. A large proportion of those now worship- 
ping here were brought to the Saviour within these years ; while 
many others are known to be justifying the spirit of their birth- 
place in other communions. 

The most powerful work of grace, in many respects, occurr 
in the winter of 1866-67. 



74 



Gathering Jewels. 



On March 24, 1867, one hundred and fifty-four subjects of 
that work publicly professed faith in Christ ; upward of two 
hundred joined the church during the year. 

The following notice is taken from the New York Evangelist 
soon after, the editor of which was present : 

" A goodly sight, indeed, and worthy the words of hearty wel- 
come uttered by the pastor. As he led the congregation in the 
song, ' There are angels hovering round,' the house seemed to 
be full of heavenly influence. There were a large number of 
baptisms. There was visible emotion as the symbol of purity 
was lifted to the brow of a lady in deep mourning. Her hus- 
band (Mr. George Betts) had been an elder of the church twen- 
ty-eight years. It was his constant cry to God that he might 
not die until his wife became a Christian. Two weeks be- 
fore he had heard her examined and received by the session. 
On his way from church he was struck with paralysis, and 
died." 

He adds : " I have never seen a better appearing multi- 
tude stand in any church. The sexes were about equally 
divided/' 

" These seasons," said the pastor, in his farewell discourse, 
" have not been the result of accident. They were thoroughly 
planned and provided for, and sought of the Lord. We have 
found that appropriate means was wisdom, that persistent con- 
centration was power ; that enthusiasm for souls was force ; and 
that belief in God was success." 

A complete history of that one revival would occupy a vol- 
ume. It was deep, wide-spread, and confined to no particular 
class. The official capacity of the church recently has been 
largely exercised by men converted at that time. Men hold- 
ing trusts in the Society to-day were without hope previous to 
that work. 

It is gratifying to record the continuance of the gracious 
favor, that this last year of the century, the fifty-seventh 



Brief Historical Sketch of the Allen Street Church. 



of our existence, should be crowned with still another work 
of grace — gradual in inception, first indicated by increas- 
ing interest in the ministration of the Word, in the ab- 
sence of special means, only finding in the Week of Prayer 
an occasion for decided development — continuing with deep- 
ening and widening interest, until attention was necessarily 
divided between this and a more general work in connection 
with the coming of Messrs. Moody and Sankey to our city. 
As visible proof of this quiet work, fifty-seven have been ad- 
ded to the church — forty-six making profession of their faith 
on March 12th, of all ages — youth from the Sabbath-schools, 
adults, and several heads of families. 

A church of such continuous revival record ought, indeed, to 
raise her Ebenezer to-day. While as patriots we fling out our 
Centennial Banners, let us, as subjects of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
set up a memorial to the praise of His boundless, matchless 
grace. 

During the ministry of the Rev. George O. Phelps, the bless- 
ing of the Lord attended his untiring and loving labors. 

We cannot omit mentioning here the kindness of the Rev. 
Dr. Nathaniel Conkling, who cheerfully supplied the pulpit for 
eighteen months without any remuneration ; and during this 
time the pastor's study was neatly furnished, and the church 
property renovated. Also a number of young persons were led 
to Christ and united with the church; some of these young men 
are to-day actively engaged in the Lord's work in the lower part 
of the city, at the Church, and in connection with the "Young 
Men's Institute," on the Bowery. 

It only remains for me to speak of the Sabbath-schools con- 
?iected with this church. 

Imperfect, indeed, would be this narrative, without a record 
oi this department of Christian work. 

Mr. Samuel Kennedy was its first superintendent, which of- 
fice he held for twenty-three years. He was a man of great 



76 



Gathering Jewels. 



kindness of heart, strict in discipline, and devoted to the inter- 
est of youth. 

The present superintendent is Martin Ralph. 

The following named .gentlemen have held the office of 
Superintendent in regular succession : John D. Camp, Benja- 
min N. Goldsmith, Daniel O. Caulkins, Amos P. Hawley, 
Lewis S. Benedict, Mahlon T. Hewitt, William C. Bradley, H. 
C. Southworth, Joseph W. Lester, Edward P. Tibballs, H. G. 
Fraser, and G. A. Koos. 

There is also related to this church a Mission-school, superin- 
tended by one of its elders — Mr. J. H. Owens — known as the 
" Ludlow Street Mission Sabbath School" at present occupying 
the public school building on Ludlow Street, between Riving- 
ton and Delancey. 

The superintendents are tireless in exertion, and fully devoted 
to its interest, encouraged by a zealous band of officers and 
teexhers, the influence of whose work upon the children and 
the families they represent in that locality, eternity alone can 
tell. 

Next to Elder Knowles, as the ruling elder, we might men- 
tion the name of Joseph W. Lester, of whom it may be said that 
he endeared himself, by an unusual force of character, to a large 
acquaintance, best known in connection with the Allen Street 
Church, but a pillar of strength to every good work throughout 
the city ; of strict integrity, a judicious adviser, largely benevo- 
lent, prompt to act, of wonderful energy, reliable everywhere, 
zealous to win souls, esteemed for his business qualities, and 
a true patriot. 

But amid all the changes to which both the church and 
school have ever been subject, there remains one, who, as a duti- 
ful son, and an apt scholar, took his place forty-seven years ago; 
so now his fidelity and constancy are no marvel, since, with the 
Psalmist, he is a " door-keeper in the House of the Lord," and 
like John the Baptist, "An unshaken Reed." 



Brief Historical Sketch of the Allen Street Church. 77 



COMMENTS OF THE PRESS ON THE REMOVAL OF THE CHURCH. 

The New York Times, of Monday, May 9, 1887, gives a brief 
account of the origin of the church : 

The Allen Street Presbyterian Church had its beginning in 
Madison Street, then Bancker, in 1816. A missionary society 
in 1 81 7 built a wooden structure at a cost of a little over two 
thousand dollars, near the corner of Catharine Street. The so- 
ciety was incorporated as the " Mission Church in the City of 
New York," and that title has never been changed, except by 
common usage. In 1823 an edifice was erected at a cost of 
about three thousand dollars. For years the church did not pros- 
per, and was on the point of selling its property, when the Rev. 
Absalom Peters offered to act as Pastor for a time without sal- 
ary. He pulled the society through its troubles. The present 
building was erected in 1833 at a cost of twenty thousand dol- 
lars. Since then the church has been humbly prosperous. For 
the present, until a site is secured, the congregation will wor- 
ship in the Church of the Sea and Land, in Market Street. 

On the same date, under the heading of " After Fifty-four 
Years," and "The Last Services in the Old Allen Street Church," 
the same paper says : 

Another of New York's old churches will soon be torn 
down. Yesterday the last services were held in the Allen 
Street Presbyterian Church, near Grand Street. For many years 
the church has been a sort of half-way house between up and 
down town, and its congregation has been an ever-changing 
one. It has never been a large nor a rich church, although it has 
had among its members many who are to-day wealthy, and its 
total membership, since its organization, is much greater than 
that of many a larger church. 

The last services were made interesting, not only by the pres- 
ence of nearly all the present members, but of members of 



7« 



Gathering Jewels. 



twenty and twenty-five years ago, who came from churches fur- 
ther up town and from Brooklyn. In the afternoon there was a 
union service of the church, Sunday-school, and the Ludlow 
Street Mission. Later the young people held a prayer-meeting, 
and in the evening reunion services were held. The pastor, the 
Rev. D. McNeill Young, read letters from many former members 
who had left New York, all regretting the necessity for demol- 
ishing the old building. The reading of the letters was inter- 
rupted by the puffing and rattle of the elevated trains directly in 
front of the door — one of the principal causes of a change of 
location — that made more prominent the fact that, though' sen- 
timent muht desire to save the church, it could never again be 
a pleasant place of worship. After the letters were read familiar 
hymns were sung, and, without any formality, the older members 
and their former associates gave reminiscences of the early days 
of their church. 

As a proof of its spiritual power not less than fourteen hun- 
dred and forty-three persons have been connected with it in the 
service of the Master, the number of active members at the time 
of changing location being five hundred and sixty three, showing 
that though old in years it still retains its usefulness. 

The New York Evangelist of April 21, 1887, under the head- 
ing of "Another Land-mark to be Obliterated," says : 

The old Allen Street Presbyterian Church building, where 
God's people have continued to battle against sin and Satan for 
some sixty-four years, has at last yielded to the pressure of the 
advancing tide of business on Grand Street, and been sold. 
The present expectation of the Church is to remain in the 
neighborhood, and it is hoped that a more desirable location 
may be obtained, and a building, suited to the times and the 
needs of the people, erected thereon. Farewell services will 
begin on Friday evening, May 6th, with the preparatory lecture, 



Brief Historical Sketch of the Alien Street Church. 79 



to be followed by an earnest season of prayer for the divine 
blessing on the exodus. On Sabbath, May 8th, the farewell 
communion service will be held at it a. m. A union meeting of 
the Home and Ludlow Street Sabbath-schools will be held in 
the main audience room of the church building at 2 p. m. The 
exercises of the Young People's Prayer and Conference Meet- 
ing will take place at seven o'clock, followed by the closing 
farewell service in the Church at 7.45 p. m. Then the last good- 
bv will be said in the dear old home which has been the spirit- 
ual birth-place of many, many precious souls. It is earnestly 
hoped that these services will bring together many who can tell 
of former refreshing times from the presence of the Lord, and 
of hallowed associations within the sacred walls of the old Allen 
Street Church. It is expected that some of the former pastors 
will be present to add interest to the occasion. It is well under- 
stood that this well-known church property has been purchased 
by Messrs. Ridley vSc Co. for $75,000. They thus secure large 
additional space for their enormous mercantile business. It 
should, perhaps, be known that the building of the Elevated road, 
just in front, has greatly injured " Old Allen Street," as it was 
popularly called, for ail church purposes. The noise of the 
passing trains was very annoying, especially in warm weather, 
when windows and doors were open. The sum realized will, it 
is hoped, enable the congregation to build elsewhere in the 
neighborhood. 

The Xew York Daily Tribune, of the same date, thus com- 
ments on the old church : 

LEAVING THEIR OLD CHURCH HOME. 

Yesterday the Allen Street Presbyterian Church held their 
last service in their present home. The building has been sold to 
Messrs. Ridley vSc Sons for mercantile purposes. The church 
moves temporarily to Market Street, where they will worship 



8o 



Gathering Jewels. 



with the Church of the Sea and Land. There were the regular 
morning services, followed by communion. The church was 
tastefully decorated with flowers, the gift of the Bethany So- 
ciety of the Church, in commemoration of their last services. 
On May 28, 1819, the church was organized, although the 
building had been dedicated on October 25, 1817. This build- 
ing was in Madison Street, and when it became too small they 
moved to their present place in 1834. 

In the afternoon the home Sunday-school and the Mission 
school in Ludlow Street held a reunion in the home church. 
The programme in the afternoon and evening consisted of short 
addresses and music. It was a reunion of old members and 
new, of old pastors and people, of old officers and those whom 
they were accustomed to oversee. The Rev. N. D. Conkling, 
assisted the pastor, the Rev. D. M. Young in the services, 
preaching the morning sermon. There were twelve persons 
received into the church on profession of faith. 



Resolutions of the Allen Street Church. 



81 



RESOLUTIONS OF THE ALLEN v STREET CHURCH. 

New York, March 2, 1887. 
Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God, our kind and compas- 
sionate heavenly Father, in the solemn dispensations of His 
providence to remove from our midst by death, our dear and 
highly esteemed friend and brother, Elder James Knowles, and 
his wife, Matilda Knowles, of the Allen Street Presbyterian 
Church ; and 

Whereas, It becomes us not only as brethren in Christ, but as 
a Session of said church, to express our hearty appreciation of 
their work in and worth to the cause of Christianity, which they 
so dearly loved ; and while we bow in humble submission to 
the Divine will, nevertheless we strongly realize that, as co- 
workers together with them in the Master's vineyard, we have 
sustained a severe and irreparable loss by this sad bereave- 
ment ; 

Therefore be it Resolved, That as a Session now assembled, 
we do hereby tender our heartfelt sympathy and sorrow to the 
bereaved family in their great grief ; and we do earnestly and 
sincerely commend them to God and the Word of His grace, 



82 



Gathering Jewels. 



that is able to keep them from falling, and to give them an 
abundant entrance into His everlasting kingdom ; and be it 
further 



Resolved, That the Clerk of Session be requested to enter 
these resolutions on the records of the church, and that a copy 
be immediately forwarded to the family of the deceased. 



Duncan M. Young, Pastor. 
(Signed), J. H. Allen, M.D., 

J. M. Morrison, 
J. R. Batty, 
Martin Braitmayer, 

Elders. 

Jerome H. Owens, 

Clerk of Session. 



GATHERING JEWELS. 



CHAPTER VII. 

BRIEF MEMOIR OF MATILDA KNOWLES. 

They walk with God whom none can shame 
From trusting in His holy name ; 
Who looking for a glorious morn, 
Shrink not before the lip of scorn. 

The subject of this memoir was born in Tichon, near Bal- 
lymena, County Antrim, in the north of Ireland, March 22, 
181 1. Her ancestors fled from Scotland during the dark days 
of persecution, "when the minister's home was the mountain 
and flood." Little can be gleaned of her early history. Her 
mother died when she was six years old, leaving a sister 
older than herself, and a brother, a baby eight months old. Her 
father died shortly after her mother. When she was only eight 
years old, she went to the corner of the house, and asked the 
Lord to be a father and a mother to her. She was ultimately 
taken to her uncle's, at which place she resided until she 
came to America. 

During her stay with him, she became acquainted with a 
young girl, who told her of the love of Jesus, and shortly be- 
fore her death, she would frequently say how good God was to 
her, in bringing her in contact with her friend, who early told 
her of the life of the Saviour, and His never-dying love. At 



86 



Gathering Jewels, 



the same place, being filled with those desires, and having those 
Christian principles instilled into her heart, and not having con- 
veniences to study and pray in the house, she would repair to 
the barn, to attend to her devotional duties, experiencing the 
truthfulness of God's Word, " They that seek me early shall find 
me." At this time she committed to memory the Psalms, and 
the Book of Proverbs, and several passages of the New Testa- 
ment. 

It seems that certain influences were brought to bear upon 
her, for the purpose of getting her settled in life, contrary to 
her own wishes ; but the , party so chosen was without Christian 
character, and although every inducement was offered, so far as 
wealth was concerned, she remembered the injunction of the 
Scriptures, " Be ye not unequally yoked to unbelievers, ,, and like 
Moses, who refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 
but chose rather to suffer affliction, penury, and loss with the 
people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, 
she declined to enter into the proposed matrimonial connection. 
And then she decided to emigrate to the United States, friend- 
less and alone. 

In 1833 — the time of the great cholera epidemic in this coun- 
try — she was left by herself, in a house where all its occupants 
had fled through fear. Trusting in the God of Israel for protec- 
tion, she experienced the full force of those sublime words of 
King David : " He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most 
High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. He shall 
cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou 
trust. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for 
the arrow that flieth by day ; nor for the pestilence that walketh 
in darkness ; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noon-day." 
On arriving in New York, she immediately connected herself in 
church fellowship with the Canal Street Presbyterian Church, 
under the ministry of the Rev. Dr. McCarthy, and became a 
Sabbath-school teacher. Some of the first impressions made on 



Brief Memoir of Matilda Knowles. 



87 



her mind by her pastor were continually repeated, even up to 
the hour of her death. 

In one address, delivered to young people, he begged them 
not to allow Satan to get even his little finger in, for he gener- 
ally commenced with little sins, and by and by he would get his 
two fingers in, and then his whole hand, and twist you around 
as he chose, instead of allowing you to obey the commands of 
God. 

Shortly after she landed in this country she was invited by an 
acquaintance to go to Brooklyn, to church. She consented, and 
attended the service ; but, on her return, while stepping off the 
ferry-boat, she slipped, and fell into the river, and narrowly es- 
caped drowning. She resolved, by God's grace, that she would 
never put her foot on a ferry-boat on the Sabbath again, while 
she lived, which vow she kept to the close of her life. 

It was her usual custom on the street, if she heard any person 
using profane language, to reprove them, by saying, " Don't dare 
take the name of my Saviour in vain." 

In the year 1839 she was married to Elder James Knowles, 
by the Rev. Dr. McLeod, of the First Reformed Presbyterian 
Church, Prince's Street. At this time she joined the above 
church, that she might be in full fellowship at the same commu- 
nion-table with her husband. 

In her earnest endeavors to faithfully serve her Lord and 
Master, she was sorely tried by a woman who lived in the 
same house with her. And herein do we see the goodness of 
God, in imparting grace to her to strenuously resist tempta- 
tion. This woman did all in her power to lead her astray 
by offering her strong drink. She would visit her frequently 
after her husband had gone to his business, and bring the 
bottle and glass. She determined to change her place of resi- 
dence, and before her husband returned home, she had engaged 
new apartments, and had her furniture all removed. Even after 
her removal, the woman followed her up, and became a tenant 



88 



Gathering Jewels. 



in the same house, and the same temptations were renewed. She 
once more got up and moved out of the house, never once yield- 
ing to the woman's persistent temptation. 

In the summer of 1848 she met with a narrow escape in a 
burning building. In trying to extinguish the flames, she was 
badly burned from the points of her fingers up to her should- 
ers. In this house she succeeded in getting some people to at- 
tend church ; and at this time, seeing some women ordained 
to go to India, she earnestly desired to be in their place. 

In i860, when in her fiftieth year, she removed to the Tenth 
Ward, the scene of her future labors. When her son William 
went to the war, she was recommended by Mrs. Warren to Rev. 
Mr. Finney, who engaged her as a Bible Reader and Visitor in 
the district. 

In the spring of 1862, during the great fratricidal war, she 
started a sewing-school in Rivington Street, which eventually 
merged into the Harper and Fiske Industrial School in Lud- 
low Street, which met. every Saturday. Gathering together 
from seventy-five to one hundred children, she taught them to 
sew, and endeavored to lead them to Him who said, " Suffer the 
little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such 
is the kingdom of heaven." 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE VALUE OF PRAYER. 

Oh, teach me, Lord, that I may teach 

The precious things Thou dost impart; 
And wing my words, that they may reach 

The hidden depths of many a heart. 

Mrs. Knowles's life, throughout, was characterized by great 
sincerity and steadfastness of purpose. As an evidence of it, I 
will give a sketch of her experience and work from her own 
pen, illustrating how the closing hours of her life were chiefly 
devoted to " Gathering Jewels" for Christ, as the secret of a 
truly beautiful life. 

" In my field of labor I have met with much success and encour- 
agement, though, indeed, there are more cases very trying and 
painful to witness, but all difficulties can be encountered, and many 
overcome, by prayer. I feel more and more the blessedness of the 
privilege I enjoy in being permitted to labor for Christ in the salva- 
tion of so many poor souls, and in being the means of aiding so 
many who are sick, cast down, and discouraged. How many 
there are who neglect the house of prayer from the contagion of 
bad example around them, and the want of a kind word of in- 
vitation, until the habit becomes fixed, and it needs urging to 
remind them of their duty? / often think of the words of 
Christ : ' Compel them to come in' Yes, compulsion of the 
right kind is very needful, and a word of interest and encour- 
agement such a help. One poor woman whom I visited a short 
time since, told me her lot was the hardest in the world — that 



9° 



Gathering Jewels. 



she had seven children all out of Christ. I told her not to be 
disheartened ; that if she could say God was her God, she could 
say he was the God of her seed, and that Jesus had said : 
1 Whatsover ye shall ask in my name, believing, ye shall receive.' 
She said: 'I have hoped so long, but now I am discouraged.' I 
told her the mother of St. Augustine said she had prayed for 
fourteen long years for her son, and her friend said to her: "I 
tell you the subject of so many long and earnest prayers cannot 
be lost.' And that son, of whom she was then in search, and 
whom she met a short time afterward, was then under deep con- 
viction, and soon afterward brought to Christ, and became an 
earnest and devoted minister ; ' and you, my friend, need not be 
discouraged, for the same Spirit can work as powerfully on the 
hearts of your children as on his.' I prayed with her, and left 
her begging me to pray for her ; calling on her a few days 
since, she met me with a cheerful countenance, and told me what 
I had said, together with reading the promise of an answer to 
prayer, had greatly encouraged her,. and that her eldest son, who 
was the most unruly of all, had accompanied her to church on 
the last Sabbath, and she believed now the rest would be led to 
follow his example. I told her to doubt no longer, and with a 
word of cheer left her." 

Here I will make a few comments on the above. 

All difficulties can be encountered, and many overcome by prayer, 
— How true and weighty is this remark. Remembrance of this 
would guard and govern aright the actions of Christians, and deli- 
ver them from all unprofitable and injudicious murmurings. It 
suggests the only true antidote for the ills of life. A pleasant path 
to tranquillity of mind is prayer. Whether amid the crowded city 
or in the quiet hamlet, on land or on sea, at home or abroad, no 
matter where we are, God's ear is always open to the cry of His 
children. Prayer is the divinely appointed means to the attain- 
; ment of peace. It lifts the soul above the cares and vicissitudes 



The Value of Prayer. 



9i 



of life. Its effect is nearness to God. Earth's sighs are nu- 
merous. The tears flow thick and fast. Tears of affright. The 
enemy comes in like a flood, but the Lord lifts up a standard 
against them all ; and the blest remembrance of the promise, 
" Cast thy burden by prayer on the Lord, and He will sustain 
thee/' imparts fresh courage amid the conflict. The man who 
forgets to pray in the hour of trial is like one who has lost his 
way on a dark-, stormy night ; he is, indeed, a benighted trav- 
eller on a lonesome, dreary road. But let us thank God that — 

From every stormy wind that blows, 
From every swelling tide of woes, 
There is a calm, a sure retreat ; 
'Tis found beneath the Mercy Seat. 

/ feel more and more the blessedness of the privilege I enjoy, in 
being permitted to labor for Christ in the salvation of so many poor 
souls. — When we labor with an eye' to the glory of God, and the 
exaltation of the name of Jesus in the salvation of lost sinners, 
it always imparts perpetual pleasure. It was for the joy that 
was set before Jesus that He endured the Cross. Pure pleasure 
springs from the motive of doing good. This was the stand- 
ard from which Christ labored. His compensation consisted in 
clarifying the natural and spiritual vision of those who sat 
in darkness and the shadow of death. This is the true expla- 
nation of His mysterious patience with those who frequently 
repelled His teachings and doings, when they were attributed to 
the power of the Prince of the Air. But the incarnate Son of 
God fainted not in His work, until He exclaimed, " It is fin- 
ished." It is even so with all faithful missionaries. They feel 
it to be an unspeakable privilege to be co-workers with 
Christ ; recognizing the fact that it is not their work but God's, 
and while they acknowledge their utter inability to save a sin- 
gle soul, yet, doubtless, their joy and satisfaction in all their 
work springs from the sacred consciousness that there is not 



9 2 



Gathering Jewels. 



only rejoicings and gladness of heart experienced on earth, but 
"joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner 
that repenteth." 

I of ten think of the words of Christ \ Compel them to come in. — 
The scene is changed. From prayer in the closet, to kindly com- 
pulsion in the lanes and streets of the city. Here the reader will 
find the true secret of her beautiful life ; namely, frequent 
reflection on the words of Christ, relative to Christian work in 
the world. "Go ye out into the highways and lanes," etc. 
This is the only method by which we can have communication 
with the souls of men and women who are perishing for lack of 
knowledge. The question has often been asked by the philan- 
thropic men of the present day, How can we reach the masses ? 
How can we save the non-churchgoers ? It is calculated that 
with a population of almost- a hundred thousand souls in the 
Tenth Ward alone, of New York, only about one-fourth attend 
any place of worship. These facts and figures are startling, 
but they are, nevertheless, true. These precious souls, for 
whom Christ died, must be made the object of our affection. 
Our knowledge of the spiritual destitution of the down-town 
masses is strictly based upon our experience and observation. 
And hence we say that a house to house visitation, systematic- 
ally arranged, constitutes one of the essential characteristics 
of Christ-like work. He labored not only in the temple and the 
synagogue, but in the market-place, and on the streets. His 
pulpit was the stern-sheets of the ship, on the Sea of Galilee. 

With a word of cheer left her. — Think of the power of a kind* 
word. Amid all the busy scenes of life, is there no time for a 
cheerful word ? When the Chief Priests and Pharisees sought to 
lay hands on Jesus, they feared the multitude because they took 
him for a prophet. What rays of celestial sunshine sometimes 
stream into the soul of the disheartened one when the mis- 
sionary whispers, " Put all your trust in Jesus, and he will care 
for you." There is balm in Gilead, and there is a physician 



The Value of Prayer. 93 



there. Look at the power of a kind word uttered by the 
Master. Are there no tumultuous fears allayed in the breast of 
those two blind men as they sit by the wayside to Jerusalem? 
They cry, " Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David." Is 
there not a stupendous wealth of kindness and potency por- 
trayed in yon scene when Jesus stood still and called them, and 
uttered those strange kind words : " What will ye that I should 
do unto you?" How sad is the sight of a blind person ! How 
intensely dark their surroundings ! How they excite our pity ! 
How many, alas ! are blinded by sin, sickness, and sorrow. 
" They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. 
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes, and im- 
mediately their eyes received sight and they followed him." Is 
there any wonder that the whole city was moved, saying, " Who 
is this? This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth, of Galilee." 
Now the Saviour said, "As the Father hath sent me, even so 
send I you into the world." Kind Christian words contain the 
rich unction of encouragement and inspiration to the sorrowful, 
heavy-laden heart. So daughter, be of good cheer, thy sins, 
which are many, are all forgiven thee. 



CHAPTER IX. 



THE STORY OF WILLIAM THE CONSUMPTIVE. 

Oh, fill me with Thy fulness, Lord, 

Until my very heart o'erflow 
In kindling thought and glowing word, 

Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show. 

Our Missing Link, a journal devoted to missionary work, has 
given many graphic recitals of the good work she accomplished 
in numerous fields, but none of much livelier interest than the 
case of 

William at St. Luke's. 

" William " is a young Englishman. He came to this country 
eight years ago. He is now about twenty-four. I first saw him 
some time last winter. His sister, who lives with her family in 
our mission block, had told me that she had a brother in New 
York, who was out of health and out of employment, and was 
very unhappy in consequence. 

I expressed my sympathy, but not knowing of anything 
that I could do, asked no questions at the time. A few 
days after she came to say that the brother referred to was 
in her room ; that it had become evident that he was in 
consumption. He would like to talk with me. I was alone, 
and bade her invite him in. He came immediately. A tall, 
thin young man, with a pleasant face and easy manners. I did 
not speak to him very directly on religious subjects. I believe 
that I perceived in this first interview that his views were not 
very clear. I encouraged him gradually to tell me, about his 



The Story of William the Consumptive. 



95 



circumstances. His confidence was easily won, and in the 
course of this and subsequent interviews I learned that his only 
home was with an aged father, who was himself out of work and 
in straitened circumstances. William's clothing was too thin 
for the inclement weather we were then encountering, and it 
was plain he could not have the nourishing food his declining 
appetite required. The sister who first introduced him to me 
was anxious about him, but her tenement was too small to ac- 
commodate her own family, and her husband's wages hardly 
equal to the wants of his own household. William's great de- 
sire was to procure employment. He would work to the utmost 
of his failing strength if only he could get work to do. I 
obtained from the Sick Relief Fund a few shillings' worth of 
groceries per week for him : but employment, means to help 
himself, was his one aspiration. I felt sure he was not able 
to work, but was anxious, nevertheless, though in vain, to grat- 
ify his wish. One evening I communicated to him a slight 
hope of an opening to some employment. The increased 
brightness of his eye, the red spot on each cheek, and his 
sleeplessness that night, proved that he was not able to bear 
even the excitement of a sudden hope. Poor fellow ! it was 
plain he would never work much more. 

I must mention here that William's constitution had re- 
ceived the seeds of disease while at sea during the war. He 
ran away from home and engaged in the revenue service. 
He also served in the army. He has never been well since 
his return. His friends tell me that he has been wild, not 
that he was immoral, to use their own expression. He had 
been religiously trained in England, did nothing that the 
world would call bad ; but he was wayward, and the occasion 
to them of great anxiety and displeasure also. 

As I said before, we did not talk much at first about religion, not 
that he avoided the subject. He was very conscious of his own 
situation as far as the uncertainty oi his life was concerned, but 



90 



Gathering Jewels. 



he had apparently no sense of sinfulness before God. Perhaps 
the reserve was on my side. I think I never felt so much as in 
this case the utter powerlessness of human influence to bring 
the soul to God. He spoke calmly of death ; but when I asked 
him what was the ground of his hope beyond the grave, he re- 
plied : 

" I have never done any one harm ; I have fried to live 
right/' 

I replied earnestly : " Do not trust to any such refuge as 
that." 

I then warned him against any hope not founded on Christ 
alone. He acknowledged that what I said was true, and seemed 
for a moment disturbed. I cannot recall another conversation 
in our earlier acquaintance, in which I was able to speak with 
any earnestness, or in which he seemed at all impressed. I 
could only pray : " Lord, open his eyes ! " It is very wonderful 
to me, on looking back, to see how God was leading him all this 
time. Once he told me of a sermon which he had heard months 
before, upon the text : " Set thine house in order, for thou 
shalt die, and not live." He had never been so impressed by a 
sermon ; he could not forget it. 

Occasionally, I observed that his mind was well stored with 
the Prayer Book version of the Psalms. Sometimes he would 
quote a petition, telling me it had been specially upon his mind. 
Upon inquiry, I found that at home in England, he had been a 
chorister boy at church. He has since told me he used to sing 
the Psalms without any sense of their meaning. Probably the 
words were never explained to him, or impressed upon him in 
any way. It was a mere form of a church which confirmed its 
members at fifteen years old, with very little cognizance of their 
spiritual life. William, however, had not been confirmed. It 
would seem from his subsequent life that the words he had 
chanted, from Sunday to Sunday, had no effect on him, but 
now, in his last days, God was bringing them home to his heart, 



The Story of William the Consumptive. 



97 



over all the years of his carelessness, and accomplishing that 
which he pleased. It has helped me to believe that it is not in 
vain to store the mind of thoughtless Sunday-school scholars 
with the Word of God, and that in the most formal Christian 
Church the words of Scripture are not lost. 

But all this time William's temporal wants were increasingly 
pressing. »His father had been obliged to sell their little stock 
of furniture, and the house was broken up. One night his sis- 
ter told me that William had not so much as a place to sleep in. 
She took him in with her own children for a few days. I recom- 
mended that he should go into St. Luke's Hospital far a month. 
Perhaps the rest and nourishment he would find there would 
enable him to get through the trying spring weather, and in the 
summer he might be better. While this plan was under consid- 
eration, William found that he could stay in the room that his 
father had just quitted until the end of the month, which was 
half gone. Still clinging to the hope of finding employment, he 
gave up the hospital plan, while in his almost empty room was 
neither food nor fuel. His sister did what she could. I applied 
to the Sick Relief Society for some coal, which was immediately 
granted. All this time I had not applied to my Superintendent, 
whose kind and ready sympathy never fails me. The reason 
was, I have constantly on my heart and hands so many cases of 
suffering that I cannot represent them all, and am anxious to 
get through difficulties, as far as possible, without unusual as- 
sistance. But in this case God's plans were above my reach. 
One day Mrs. Knowles called at my room. While we were 
talking about some mission business, there was a knock. It was 
William. I had an instant sense that he had providentially 
called. 

"Come in," I said, a and tell your story to my Superintend- 
ent." This interview was the beginning of better times for 
poor William. Mrs. Knowles immediately provided him with 
better clothing. I had only succeeded in getting some flannel 



9 & 



Gathering Jewels. 



from the Society. Her kindness did not stop here. In a few 
days she procured him a job of cutting wood. 

A Difficulty. — William did his first day's work with all the en- 
ergy his feeble strength would allow, but on being summoned to 
the same place again, an unfortunate circumstance occurred. I 
think it right to state the facts, because it shows how wonder- 
fully God's grace can overrule. He commenced his work as 
before, but his strength giving out, he accepted an invitation 
from a lady in an adjoining house to come in and rest. His 
delicate appearance enlisted sympatlry. She had had some 
conversation with him in his previous day's work, and was 
now prepared to express the kindest feelings, especially as she 
herself had lost a brother with consumption. Observing his 
exhausted state, she brought forward a glass of whiskey, which 
she made him swallow, strongly advising him to procure more 
and use it as a stimulant. The lady's intention was only kind, 
but, unfortunately, William acted indiscreetly upon the advice. 
Encouraged by the momentary relief afforded by the exhilarat- 
ing beverage, he did procure more. Whether it was the same 
day or the next, I am not quite sure, but he went to his sister's 
at last, sadly under the influence of liquor. His weak state, the 
uncomfortable condition of his affairs, acting with the liquor 
upon his brain, caused him for a day or two to behave in a very 
inconsistent and unnatural manner. He seemed even to vary 
from his habitual truthfulness. Much disgusted, his sister re- 
buked him sharply, declared that she would tell me, and of course, 
the inference was that I should tell Mrs. Knowles. But that 
good woman knew about it as soon as I did. She was grieved 
and disappointed at what had occurred, but her uniform kind- 
ness did not fail. It was evident he was no longer able to make 
any exertion for himself, and she procured him admission into 
St. Luke's Hospital. 

He went, in the midst of these trying circumstances, not com- 
ing to bid me good-by, and knowing that his sister was seriously * 



The Story of William the Consumptive. 99 



displeased. Poor William ! disgraced, unhappy, and sick, he 
went to that bed which was about to become to him as the gate 
of heaven. I went to see him as soon as possible. I went, in- 
tending to talk over with him what had passed, but found him 
so humble and so suffering that I had no heart to make any allu- 
sion to it. We neither of us spoke directly upon the subject. 
In fact, I said very little upon any subject, for as he lay there 
with the tears upon his thin face, expressing brokenly his pain 
and his penitence, I felt that God was teaching him, and taking 
hold of the very lesson to show him his true character. He was 
now coming upon a new ground never understood before. 

The Blessed Change. — Mrs. Knowles saw William before I 
went to him a second time. She, too, forbore alluding to the 
unpleasant circumstances, but she talked to him of our human 
sinfulness before God, and our need of a Saviour. Some of his 
most interesting conversations have since been with her. The 
second time I visited William his bodily strength had greatly 
failed, but his face was beautiful with a new light I had never 
seen there before. 

"I feel very differently now," he said, li God has forgiven all 
my sins." 

He then went on to express his sense of his own unworthiness ; 
not that he had led a vicious life, but he felt he was a great sinner 
before God. In the course of conversation I told him his sister 
had inquired kindly about him ; his eyes filled with tears, and he 
said : 

" Tell her I have been converted ; I am very happy." The 
week before Easter, when the Bishop visited the hospital to ad- 
minister confirmation, William was placed in a chair to receive 
the rite, and on Easter Day partook of his first communion. It 
was a glorious day for him. Mrs. Knowles visited him on that 
day. 

A few days after, as I sat by his bedside, he was speaking, 
as he always did now, of his sense of sinfulness, and his sense 



too 



Gathering Jewels. 



of pardon, when I reminded him of the early conversation, be- 
fore alluded to, in which he had rested on his own moral char- 
acter for acceptance with God. 

"<Yes," he replied, " I used to think so, but I have been all 
wrong. Now I have no dependence but upon Jesus Christ." 

A little before this, he had said to Mrs. Knowles : " I never 
knew that just trusting in Christ would give me such peace. " 

He has said repeatedly : " This sickness is the best thing 
that has ever happened to me. If it had not been for this, I 
should have gone on in wordiness.'' 

William has never been accustomed to the common religious 
phraseology. He is such a babe in such things, that his expres- 
sions are sometimes strikingly artless. At one time I was speak- 
ing of his sufferings, he looked up with a smile, and hesitating 
how to express the thought in his mind, said : 

" I think it is out of his affections God afflicts us." 

His sister had wept much when I delivered his message. As 
I returned a kind reply from her, he said : 

" Tell her I pray for her and her family every day." Then, 
when after a little conversation I had bidden him good-by, he 
called me back, and said : 

"Be sure and tell my sister I pray for her." He frequently 
said to me : 

"I pray for you everyday;" and on saying this to Mrs. 
Knowles, he added, at one time : 

" I speak your name to God when I pray." 

When he says this with so much earnestness, we always feel 
that his prayers are a rare treasure, since the helpless, self- 
renouncing prayers are most prevalent in Christ. The ten- 
derness with which William speaks of his sister's family has 
sometimes touched me. There is nothing like the peace of God 
to beget good will to man. Knowing that the family had many 
trials with his sister's ill health and scanty means, he often 
sends by me messages of sympathy. A few days since it was 



The Story of William the Consumptive. 



ICl 



suddenly discovered that their youngest child, two years old, 
and a little pet of William's, was in danger of being crippled 
for life. This new and unexpected sorrow filled the family with 
great distress. I accompanied the father when the child was 
brought to St. Luke's for examination. After the physician's 
opinion had been given, and arrangements made for placing it in 
the Children's Ward, we went to see William. The unexpected 
appearance of his brother-in-law, whom he had not seen since 
coming to the hospital, affected him much. Indeed, the inter- 
view was trying to both. I left them alone, and on my return 
shortly afterward, found William still in tears. He was not so 
well that morning, and grief for the child, and the sight of the 
brother reviving the painful memory of their late alienation, was 
too much for him ; yet his peace was not greatly disturbed, for 
all alienation from man, as from God, had been healed for him. 

The Tried Word. — I went to see the little child the next 
morning, and then reported him to his uncle, whose first 
words were a question, rather anxiously put, concerning the 
little one. Wishing to set his mind at ease, I said : 

" Oh, it is all well with him. I just met him coming down 
stairs with a flock of children, and his hands full of bread and 
butter.'' 

He gave a smile of quiet amusement, which showed the 
playfulness of other days might yet be touched. I then went 
on to tell him the case was not likely to prove as serious as 
we had feared, and suggested he should get the nurse, when 
convenient, to bring the child in her arms to his bedside. 
He was pleased with the idea ; but presently the conversation 
fell off from the subject. William's eyes wandered to the 
texts of the " Silent Comforter " at the foot of his bed. With 
the air of one who caught the sight of unutterable things, and 
has not much more to do with the world : 

" See," said he, " I have a good verse for this morning." He 
began to read : " Fear not, I am with thee." 



102 



Gathering Jewets. 



Beginning to cough, I went on : " When thou walkest through 
the waters, they shall not overflow thee ; and through the fire, 
thou shalt not be burned. That is just right for you, William/' 

" Yes," he replied, with his own peculiarly beautiful smile. 

" I notice," said I, " that the very words of God are best for 
you. You love the hymns, but, after all, God's own words are 
the safest to rest upon." 

"Yes," he replied, "I live upon those texts. When the 
nurse comes in, in the morning, to turn the leaf over, / am 
eager." 

I did not speak, but watched him as he lay, his longing 
eyes fixed upon the words before him, with an absorbed and 
admiring gaze, as if all else were forgotten. His soul was 
hanging its eternal destiny on the words of God. A few days 
before this he had said to Mrs. Knowles: 

" You remember when we first talked of the Shepherd's 
Psalm, I said I should be glad when I could say : ' When I 
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no 
evil' Now," he added, emphatically, " I can say it. I fear no 
evil, for thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." 

His listener then went on to speak of the beautiful figure of 
the rod and staff. 

Sunshine and Shadow. — God leads his little ones gently, the 
Good Shepherd bears the lambs, that the enemy may not too 
much affright them through the dark valley. 

" Is your peace never disturbed, William ? " I asked one 
day. 

" Not often," he answered. " Sometimes there comes a 
cloud — it is a temptation, I suppose." 

" Yes," I said, " Satan, perhaps, envies you. He knows that 
he will never get your soul, but he will trouble you a little." 

"I suppose so," he replied thoughtfully. 

Wishing to express to me his happiness in God, and not 
knowing quite how to do so, he said : 



The Story of William the Consumptive. 



103 



" It is like this, sometimes — I feel like a boy let out from 
school ; I am so happy, I want to shout." At another time he 
said : 

" I have much communion." Then, as if to illustrate this, he 
added : 

" Last night, I awoke about two o'clock, and I was praying in 
my sleep." 

" Can you recall your prayer ? " I asked. 

" No," he said, " but I was praying to God." 

" God is very good, William, to let you talk with him so in 
the night." 

" Yes," he answered ; and then turning his face toward his 
pillow, he said, in a low voice : " Praise God ! " 
" And bless his holy name," I responded. 

We were both silent for a few moments, and then — I think it 
was in connection with this conversation — I asked : 

"William, if you were to get well now, do you think you 
would try to live to the glory of God ? " 

" Indeed, I would," he answered. 

" And bring others to know him ? " I asked, 

"Yes," he said again. 

"Well, William, I suppose you think that here upon this bed 
you cannot do much ; but I think you can glorify him here on 
this very bed." 

"Yes," he answered, a little doubtfully ; then added : "I try 
to pray to him all the time." 

I was half sorry for the suggestion, which seemed somewhat 
to bewilder him, and said : " That is all you can do, is it 
not ? " 

"And that is little enough," he replied sorrowfully. 

I tried to make him understand that to receive much of God's 
grace was the surest way to serve him. 

" What shall I render unto God for all his benefits ? I will 
take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord." 



lo4 



Gathering Jewels, 



When I saw William the next morning, he said, immedi- 
ately : 

" I did last night what you told me. I prayed for strength 
to glorify God here." 

" I think," I answered, " that you will do that if you lie here 
and meekly suffer his will ; and I must tell you that, after these 
conversations with you, I go home thanking God for what you 
have told me of His love to you. I think I love the Saviour 
better, since I have seen what he can be to one in sickness and 
death." 

" That is good" he said emphatically, u I would have it so." 

As I left him this time, the thought in my own mind was : 
" Oh, speak good of the Lord." 

On my return to William and his brother-in-law, after the in- 
terview which I described in my last paragraph, and which 
occurred only a few days ago, I saw that he was too much agi- 
tated for conversation. I read him a hymn and said a few 
words. He was suffering more than usual that day, and his 
usually peaceful spirit seemed a little clouded. When I rose to 
go, it seemed that he would have detained me. We had bidden 
good-by, and turned away, when I looked back. I wanted to 
leave some word of Christ or thought of him at the last. " Wil- 
liam," I said, bending over him, " Jesus says : ' Let not your 
heart be troubled — in my Father's house are many mansions.' " 

He took hold of my hand, and looked up, the red lines of 
tears about his eyes. I could not quite understand their ex- 
pression of unutterable longing, but I could feel at the mo- 
ment that death must be penal, and its waters cold some- 
times, even to a believer. 

In these deeply anxious hours, 
O, if Jesus only smile ! 
Only Jesus 
Can these restless tears beguile. 



CHAPTER X. 



SOWING AND REAPING. 

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness, 
Sowing in the noon-tide and the dewy eves ; 

Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping, 
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. 

The blessed Master sa\ y s, in his Sermon on the Mount, 
" With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you 
again." If we attempt great things for God, and expect great 
things from God, He will bless us accordingly ; for He cheers 
us by saying : " Ye shall reap, if ye faint not." 

Mrs. Knowles tells us of instances where this truth has been 
verified. " One woman, whom I have been visiting for years, but 
apparently without any success, until a few months since, when 
she was taken sick, sent for me at that time, and said, * she 
felt so sorry she had led such a wicked life,' and putting her 
arms round my neck, said, earnestly, 1 Oh, pray for me, that the 
Lord will have mercy on me, and save my poor soul.' I did so, 
and when I rose from my knees, she held my hand in hers, and 
looking up for some time, she cried, ' Lord help me, and an- 
swer the prayers that have been offered for me ; ' and when I 
told her to cast herself wholly upon Jesus, that He was ready 
to save her, she said, ' Oh, but I have been such a sinner.' 'He 
is ready to save the chief of sinners, if they will only come.' 
She clasped her hands, crying, ' Oh, Jesus, save me, for I trust 
in thee.' I left her with a heart full of anxiety, but believ- 



io6 



Gathering Jewels. 



ing the Lord had begun the good work in her heart, and 
that in His own good time he would finish it, and I was not 
disappointed ; for in a short time she was brought to rejoice 
in Christ as her Saviour, and although for weeks she passed 
through intense suffering, she never complained, but looking 
up, she would say to her family, and others who came to visit 
her, ' My Saviour helps me to bear all my trials ;' and so he 
did, for I never saw a more patient sufferer, or a happier 
death. 

"A lady whom I met there said to me, 'You have been 
sowing seed here a long time, and now you see what en- 
couragement you have to labor.' The family are still out of 
Christ, but I earnestly hope to see or hear of them all brought 
to their mother's God. 

"Another woman, who did not attend church at all, was 
like a little child, helpless and humble. Her situation became 
so critical, none were allowed to see her ; but if she heard I 
was there, she always wanted me to pray with her ; and often 
after offering a short prayer at her bedside, she would take 
my hand when about to leave her, and say, ' Oh, pray for me ;' 
And when I kissed her, she would look up so earnestly, say- 
ing : ' I know you will pray for me.' 

" It pleased the Lord to bless the means used for her recov- 
ery, and now, nearly well, she cannot express her gratitude to 
God for having preserved her. A few days since, when* I told 
her of a poor woman who had returned from the hospital not 
much better, she gave me a dollar for her ; indeed, her whole 
desire seems to be to do good, and bring up her children (she 
has a large family) in the right way. She said to me, ' When 
you came at first to see me, and spoke to me about being a sin- 
ner,! did not see how it was that I could be so, for I felt I was 
as good as you was.' 

" These are cases that encourage us in our labors, for al- 
though our work at the time may seem fruitless, we may safely 



Sowing a?id Reapi?ig. 



107 



leave the seed in His hands, who maketh it grow and bud and 
blossom in His own good time. 

" A woman whom I had not seen for some time, as she had 
moved away, told me a missionary had called to see her, and, 
talking to her as I had done, she asked if he knew me. He said, 
1 Xo, he was a stranger ; but his words impressed her so much, 
that I still hope she may soon be brought to Christ ; and thus it 
often is, if we sow in faith, ' one soweth and another reapeth.' In 
many instances a Bible that I have left, neglected at the time, 
has, through another's teaching, become precious ; and some 
have shown me one left by other teachers, to which I have had 
the privilege of directing the attention of the otherwise care- 
less owner." 

She continues her deeply-interesting narrative thus : 
"We have commenced our Saturday Sewing-school in a beau- 
tiful room, which has been secured for us, and hope to accom- 
plish a great deal of good this winter through its means. My 
Sunday-school will be in connection with the Ludlow Street 
Mission, and I trust, as my health and strength seem renewed, 
I may be truly useful in working for the Master." 

Here we have a vivid description of Christian waiting, in ex- 
pectation of results. When we take into consideration that this 
woman was fifty years old when she commenced directly to 
work as a missionary, we know that she was fully equipped for the 
task, and entered upon it with all her energies of heart. St. 
Paul says, in his letter to the Church, at Rome, that " tribula- 
tion worketh patience." Now, there are many God-fearing 
ministers who cannot stand a rebuff. There are many good 
Christian people, and some of them excellent workers in the 
Sabbath-school, who could not stand to be looked upon coldly, 
much less to have the door slammed in their face. I am 
sure they would give the work up in despair, if, after they had 
attempted to reach some stranger several times, and had not 
succeeded. But, oh, here is a weak woman, for years visiting 



io8 



Gathering Jewels. 



another of her own sex, year after year, remonstrating earn- 
estly and patiently, and lovingly with her, in order to lead 
her to Christ. Is not this the way that God deals with us ? 
Line upon line, precept upon precept ; here a little, there a 
little. 

Surely, he is the Lord God, "merciful and gracious, long- 
suffering, slow to anger, abundant in goodness and in truth." 

What does Christ say in the Apocalypse ? " Behold, I stand 
at the door, and knock ; if any man hear my voice and open 
the door, I will come unto him and will sup with him, and he 
with Me." 

Does not the Holy Spirit work in this very same manner ? Pa- 
tiently ! — oh, how patiently, He strives, He pleads, He warns. 
Was it not the Holy Spirit in this woman's heart, that, led 
her again and again to visit this home ? Yes, most assuredly. 
Oh, that this self-same spirit would whisper to every reader of 
this memoir to go and do likewise ! 

See how beautifully Divine Providence harmonizes with the 
Spirit's work, and with those who faithfully toil in the vine- 
yard. How unique the operation. Sickness is the efficient 
cause. 

But we must constantly remember that it was the almost in- 
comparable faith of this woman in the God of Jacob, amid 
the greatest difficulties and discouragements, that gave her 
such remarkable success. Incompetency for Christian work is 
a lack, not only of patience, but of faith in the great love of our 
God, and the triumphant death of Christ, and the persistent 
power of the Holy Spirit, combined with a humble trust in 
our own capabilities to do valiantly for Jesus. These are 
the allied forces in waging war against the powers of dark- 
ness in this wicked world. Christ said, " As the Father 
hath sent me, even so send I you into the world. And greater 
works than these shall ye do, because I go to my Father." 
Confidence in the word of our dear Incarnate Lord is the 



Sowing and Reaping. 



109 



warrant, not only of the stability of God's method of saving 
souls, but in the progressive propagation of Christian princi- 
ples. There is growth in work for Christ, as well as in nature. 
And our younger brethren would do well to remember that 
like this woman, we must expect success, or we will never get 
it. 

Dr. McCosh, the President of Princeton College, made the 
following remarks in an address before the General Conference 
of the Evangelical Alliance : 

" " It is useless to tell the younger naturalists that there is no 
truth in the doctrine ol development, for they know that there 
is truth which is not to be set aside by denunciation. Religious 
philosophers might be more profitably employed in showing 
them the religious aspects of the doctrine of development ; and 
some would be grateful to any who would help them to keep 
their old faith in God and the Bible with their new faith in sci- 
ence. " 

Again, in his book on " Development," Dr. McCosh says : 
" It is no use denying in our day the doctrine of evolution, 
in the name of religion or any good cause. It can now be 
shown that it rather favors religion by its furnishing proofs of 
design, and by the wonderful parallelism between Genesis and 
geology." • 

In this part of Mrs. Knowles' diary, the careful reader will 
observe a most dramatic account of human nature, under the 
controlling power of the Holy Ghost. The woman whom she 
had long visited was at last conquered. The city of the soul 
was successfully bombarded. The sorrow for sin, the sad lam- 
entation over a misspent life, the flinging of her arms round 
the neck of the missionary, the urgent request, " Oh, pray for 
me, that the Lord may have mercy on me, and save my poor 
soul," together with the statement of transition from shadow to 
sunshine, from grief to joy, from alienation to adoption, reveal 
to us the judiciously connected operations of the deity, in the 



I IO 



Gathering Jewels. 



salvation of immortal souls brought about by the power of 
prayer. 

Why should we remain incredulous about God's willingness 
to save sinners, after such a marvellous manifestation of Divine 
mercy? 

Brought to rejoice in Christ as her Saviour. — The term 
"brought," is a very emphatic Scriptural one. It ascribes the 
glory, and honor, and power of man's deliverance to the free, 
sovereign, unmerited favor of God. David sings : 

" I waited patiently for the Lord. And He inclined unto me, 
and heard my cry. 

" He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry 
clay : 

" And He set my feet upon a rock, and stablished my 
goings. 

" And He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praises 
unto our God ; many shall see //, and fear, and shall trust in the 
Lord." 

A judicious acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God as 
the author of salvation is essential to Christian calmness and 
courage, and continuance in the path of duty. Man may break 
his promise, but God never. Man's objection to God's methods 
of salvation arise from a desire to take the glory to self, and the 
disposition to discontentment on the one hand, and a feeling of 
distrust on the other. Let us learn, from the foregoing ac- 
count of the conversion of this woman, to isolate ourselves 
from man's ways of working, and accept God's communications 
regarding His approaches to the avenues of the heart ; know- 
ing that He will ultimately send the converting power of the 
Holy Spirit to the soul of the most hardened and obdurate sin- 
ner. 

We must go back once more to Mrs. Knowles' narrative, and 
observe that among the principal causes of her success with 
the poor and fallen, was not only her intimate acquaintance with 



Solving and Reapi?ig. 



in 



God's dealings with both saint and sinner, but her marvellous 
and confirmed habit of always offering a short prayer at the 
bedside of the sick and suffering and dying. There was, there- 
fore, elicited the pungent request, "Oh, pray for me," corrobor- 
ated by the impressive ejaculation of confidence in her fidelity 
to the divine command, "Call upon me in the day of trouble, I 
will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me." How inexpressi- 
bly encouraging it must have been on this occasion to hear the 
remark, " I know you will pray for me," accompanied with the 
look of earnestness and helplessness, realizing that God alone 
could restore her to her accustomed health and strength. 

Who can tell of the gratitude and gladness that sprang up in 
this woman's heart in answer to earnest prayer on her behalf, 
for her recovery which God was graciously pleased to bestow? 
The donation of the dollar to the other poor woman recent- 
ly returned from the hospital, was conclusive evidence that 
she joyfully appreciated what great things God had done, not 
only for her soul, but for her frail body. Let us learn, dear 
reader, from the foregoing account of God's dealings with His 
dear departed saints that, in the first place, we must not be 
weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint 
not, for, as Mrs. Knowles says, 4> Our work may seem at the time 
fruitless, yet we may safely leave the seed in His hands, who 
maketh it grow and bud and blossom in His own good. time." 

In the second place, we must remember that to be actively 
engaged working for God's glory is the best and surest, and, in 
fact, the only safe remedy for disappointment and discourage- 
ments in aggressive Christian work. ki In many instances," she 
says, "a Bible that I have left, neglected at the time, has through 
another's teachings become precious." We can speak from 
heart-felt experience on this point, for some of the sweet psalms 
and hymns we sang, perhaps thoughtlessly, in the days of sunny 
childhood, are to-day the most soul-stirring, imparting fire, force, 
and fervency while working for Jesus. Here is one of them : 



112 



Gathering Jewels. 



I think when I read that sweet story of old, 

When Jesus was here among men, 
How He called little children as lambs to His fold, 

I should like to have been with them then. 

I wish that His hands had been placed on my head, 

That His arm had been thrown around me, 
And that I might have seen His kind look when He said, 

" Let the little ones come unto Me." 

Yet still to His footstool in prayer I may go, 

And ask for a share in His love ; 
And if I thus earnestly seek Him below, 

I shall see Him and hear Him above. 

In that beautiful place He has gone to prepare 

For all who are washed and forgiven ; 
And many dear children shall be with Him there, 

" For of such is the kingdom of Heaven." 

Throughout her life Mrs. Knowles constantly experienced 
the blessing of sowing and the happy reward of reaping. Nu- 
merous instances could be cited, had we the space to spare, in 
which direct answers to her prayers have come to her while in 
the act of beseeching God's aid and blessing upon some one 
object of interest to her. Her own son was one among many 
of such cases. In the early part of 1857 he had become asso- 
ciated with many bad companions and was a source of anxiety 
to both his parents. His father thought if he could got him to 
attend church the good influence there obtained would tend to 
lead him to Christ and into the paths of salvation. But the 
youth refused to go, and the mother at once besought the aid of 
God in influencing her son's heart. At first, after praying with 
him for some time, she found him asleep on his knees. She 
roused him up and prayed again with him, and on her husband's 
return from church he found his penitent son beseeching Jesus 
to forgive him and lead him into the way of righteousness, 



CHAPTER XI. 



DAILY MISSIONARY WORK. 

Shall He come and find me faithful 
To His parting words to me ; 
M If I go — a place preparing — 
I will quickly come to thee. " 

Shall He come and rind me working 

In the vineyard full of love ; 
Only working, till the glory 

Breaks upon me from above ? 

The following part of her narrative of Christian work, taken 
from Our Missing Link, is deeply interesting, and deserves the 
reader's careful perusal. 

At one time Mrs. Knowles wrote that, during part of the sum- 
mer months great weakness and general debility prevented her 
from laboring as much as usual ; and when she resumed her 
visits, she found many had been making inquiries after her in 
church, not knowing her place of residence. One young woman 
especially, who had made an unfortunate marriage, and who 
had been badly treated by her husband, was extremely anxious 
to see her, to tell her what comfort she had derived from a 
Bible given her by Mrs. Knowles. She said she had never read 
so much in one before. She had been brought up a Roman 
Catholic, but having lived a few months in a Protestant family, 
she had there seen a Bible, and occasionally read in it. That 
upon leaving the family the lady presented her with one, which 
she was obliged to hide away in her bed, lest her mother 
should know she possessed it. It afterward disappeared and 



H4 



Gathering Jewels. 



she thought one of her family must have seen her reading in it, 
and since then she had never been able to procure another. 
" When I gave her this one, her husband had spent all her wages, 
and she had not the means of paying for it ; but now she paid 
me for it, and hoped I would come again soon and talk with her 
about it. 

"I am kindly received wherever I go in my new district. 
There has been much sickness, especially among the children, 
and much care is needed. One man I visited presented a piti- 
able condition. When I entered his room he was far gone in 
consumption. A little girl was raising his head to give him 
drink, as the mother had gone to her work. He looked sur- 
prised to see a stranger enter his room, but I went forward and 
asked him if he was looking unto Jesus. He said, like many 
while in health, he had thought too little about those things. I 
read and prayed with him. Upon leaving him he shook my 
hand and asked me to come again, saying the Lord must have 
sent me. I returned soon with some nourishment, which was 
greedily partaken of — ' It tasted so good.' He lived but little 
more than a week, and I visited him daily, reading and praying 
with him. I carried with me the little book Come to Jesus, 
which he loved to hear, as, ' It was so full of Jesus ; ' but he 
said he had neglected the Saviour, and how could he hope He 
would have mercy on him now. I told him how Christ died 
praying for his enemies, and that the thief on the cross looked 
to him and was saved, and repeated to him the hymn < Just as I 
am,' etc. This seemed to encourage him, and he said he wanted 
to trust in the mercy of God through Christ to save him ; while 
all who came to see him, he would urge not to delay, as he had 
done, coming to Jesus. He said I was the first to speak to him 
about the salvation of his soul, and expressed great gratitude to 
me, and great solicitude about his wife and children, till I told 
him he could surely trust One, who had done so much for him, 
to care for them. He finally became too weak to speak, but 



Daily Missionary Work. 



toward the last I saw him clasp his hands together, while he 
repeated, 'O blessed Jesus, save me.' 

" The woman whom I mentioned in a former report as so so- 
licitous about her children being all out of Christ, tells me she 
is much encouraged, as her eldest son now attends church with 
her, and is so changed and so much concerned about the other 
members of the family, she has great reason to hope for great 
things for all the rest. 

" If those dear ladies who furnish us with means could only 
see for themselves how grateful these poor creatures are for 
any small kindness done them, or for a word spoken in kind- 
ness, how greatly encouraged they would be. And how great 
is the responsibility of the Bible woman, as she goes from house 
to house, and from one apartment to another, listening to the 
•xiany tales of distress which greets her ears, and witnesses for 
herself the many objects of pity and destitution which meet her 
gaze, while she knows that something is expected from her to 
alleviate, in some measure, the sorrow of these poor sufferers ; 
and then, when these people look up to her for counsel and ad- 
vice, she is often at a loss to know what to say to them. I often 
entreat them to go to Jesus, and kneel and pray with them that 
the Lord may direct them what to do. 

" I have brought a number of persons to church, and trust, 
through blessing, prayer, and continued efforts, much more may 
be accomplished in the future." 

It is only by an experimental knowledge of the condition of 
the citizens of New York and other large centres of popula- 
tion, who are huddled together in the high tenement houses, 
that we are able to form a correct understanding of the pecu- 
liar circumstances that surround the daily life of the faith- 
ful city missionary, especially when they are not thoroughly 
acclimated. A native-born American does not feel the stifling 
heat of the summer sun like those who are born in a more 
northerly European country. But even the Americans them- 



n6 Gathering Jewels, 



selves suffer severely from the heat. Hence, many of them 
close their churches and Sabbath-schools, and resort to their 
summer retreats by the seashore, at Ocean Grove or Long 
Branch, while others seek rest and refreshment to their jaded 
spirits at Saratoga, or snuff the balmy breezes at Mount Mc- 
Gregor, where General Grant breathed his last, and ended his 
creditable career in the cause of his country. 

At this time we find that she suffered much during the sum- 
mer months of 1867. Great weakness and general debility 
hindered her from laboring incessantly, as was her u£ual cus- 
tom for her dear Saviour. Sickness seems to have been the 
only limitation to her labors. When I think that I am writing 
not about some imaginary character, but one with an untainted 
reputation, a beau ideal as a Christian worker, known perhaps to 
a few outside of the circle in which she lived and labored, en- 
couraged not by applauding throngs, but attracted and held to 
her toil, year after year, by sorrowful hearts and weeping eyes, 
and helpless hands that hang down the widow and the father- 
less — these were the objects of her Christ-like and heart-felt 
compassion. 

Chalmers observes, in a sermon preached at an Anniversary 
Missionary meeting, held in the High Church in Edinburgh : 
" What the man of liberal philosophy is in sentiment, the mis- 
sionary is in practice. He sees in every man a partaker of his 
own nature, and a brother of his own species. He contemplates 
the human mind in the generality of its great elements. He 
enters upon the wide field of benevolence, and disdains those 
geographical barriers by which little men would shut out one- 
half of the species from the kind offices of the other. His 
business is with man, and let his localities be what they may, 
enough for his large and noble heart that he is bone of the 
same bone. To get at him he will shun no danger, he will 
shrink from no privation, he will spare himself no fatigue, he 
will brave every element of heaven, he will hazard the extremi- 



Daily Missionary Work. 



"7 



ties of every clime, he will cross seas, and work his persevering 
way through the briars and thickets of the wilderness. In perils 
of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by the heathen, in wea- 
riness and painfulness, he seeks after him. The cast and 
the color are nothing to the comprehensive eye of the mis- 
sionary. His is the broad principle of good-will to the chil- 
dren of men. His doings are with the species, and, overlooking 
all the accidents of climate or of country, enough for him if 
the individual he is in quest of be a man — a brother of the 
same nature — with a body which a few years will bring to the 
grave, and a spirit that returns to the God who gave it. The 
missionary is a man of large and liberal principles." 

These characteristics, enumerated by the warm and large, 
and generous-hearted Chalmers, dwelt richly in her whose bio- 
graphy we have tremblingly attempted to portray. She knew 
little of the soothing influences of nature and solitude. Her 
life's work was spent in this city, so cosmopolitan, composed, 
almost, of every creed and color under heaven. 

After restoration to health, the great purpose of her life was 
joyously resumed. And at this time we have an opportunity of 
knowing thoroughly, and weighing precisely, the opinions of her 
parishioners regarding her, for when she began to resume her 
labors she found that the dear ones she had brought to Jesus 
were kindly inquiring about her. Surely, it is good to be 
missed, when either laid aside by sickness or called away by 
death. 

How precious are the promises of God's Word, amid domes- 
tic difficulties and trials. The relations of the home circle are 
such that, unless there is the utmost harmony and good-will, 
one toward another, everything seems to go wrong. Hence, 
the importance of the injunction of the Apostle, u Be ye not 
unequally yoked together with unbelievers." Her own domes- 
tic happiness was constantly preserved. They told me on the 
steamer, during a summer excursion, "that during the forty- 



Gathering Jewels. 



seven years of their wedded life, they never needed to be re- 
conciled." And the secret of their joy at home, even when 
they commenced housekeeping, was that they erected the family 
altar, and established a church in the house. Conceive, then, 
her feelings of gratitude to God, when she learned that the 
young Roman Catholic wife, unfortunate in her marriage, who 
was badly treated by her husband, was greatly comforted 
through the prayerful perusal of the Bible. Her deep feelings 
of moral sensibility enabled her to truly sympathize with her 
own sex in their home troubles. 

Her intense love for the children was a magnificent trait in 
her character. Why? Because she felt the significance that 
attaches itself to the sayings of Christ, bearing on the children. 
His authority must be recognized. He said : " Suffer the little 
children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is 
the kingdom of heaven. ,, There is a beautiful passage in 
Isaiah, that illustrates how tenderly God cares for the little 
ones : 

" He shall feed his flock like a shepherd ; He shall gather the 
lambs in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with 
young." 

" Whoso," said Jesus, " shall receive one such little child in my 
name, receiveth me." 

There are too many instances in our daily experience where 
the children are sadly neglected, and where they are looked 
upon as little heathens, and discouraged in their endeavors to 
follow Jesus in early life. It should be the constant care of 
parents and Sunday-school teachers to take the children to 
Him who will in no wise cast them out. Who can look into the 
clear, bright, blue eyes of a little boy or girl, and not see in 
their countenance a holy radiance expressive of trustfulness, 
innocence, and affection ? It is no wonder, then, that Jesus 
said : " Except ye be converted, and become as little children, 
ye can in nowise enter into the kingdom of heaven." 



Daily Missionary Work. 



119 



"Are you looking unto Jesus?" she said. Where can we 
look for a more important searching question to shadow forth 
the indispensable necessity of not only this consumptive man, 
but all men, whether in health or sickness, to renounce all other 
methods of trying to get to heaven, but by " looking unto Je- 
sus." No change of character can take place in any other way. 
" Look unto me and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth, for I 
am God, and beside me there is none else." They looked unto 
Him and were lightened. " O ! it is easy to look to the hills 
from whence cometh our help," when the Holy Spirit is working 
upon the heart. But ah, it is a tremendously difficult task to 
perform when the poor sinner is bereft of this divine power. 



CHAPTER XII. 



DESTITUTION AND REFORMATION. 

Oh, use me Lord, use even me, 

Just as Thou wilt, and when and where, 

Until Thy blessed face I see, 

Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share. 

Her willingness to toil in any direction attests the grand pur- 
pose of her life and the ingenious methods employed in assisting 
and saving souls. 

" I visited one family/' she writes, "a few days since who had 
not eaten anything for twenty-four hours. The father was out 
of employment, and in desperation was just about to take the 
children to some charitable home, when I came in time to sup- 
ply their wants and procure aid and work for him. Many 
others, rather than make known their wants, have pawned 
everything they possessed. I have had to give and lend them 
articles of clothing to cover them, and have procured coal and 
groceries for nine families during the past month." 

The remarkable and unprecedented success of this one woman 
in reaching others of her own sex is nearly unparalleled. This 
fact has encouraged us to persevere in our attempt to make 
these truths known to the Christian world ; for how emphatically 
true are the words of Gray : 

' ' Full many a gem of purest ray serene, 

The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear, 
And full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
And waste its sweetness on the desert air." 



Destitution and Reformation. 



121 



This thought stimulates us to renewed efforts to present her 
experience in her own language, as she conscientiously dis- 
charged her duty with an eye single to the glory of God. 

She mentions a case of reformation of an intemperate woman 
who had deserted her home, and after pawning and ridding her- 
self of all she possessed, was at length brought to herself and 
sent for the Bible woman, and, through the omnipotence of 
loving-kindness, has been won to reformation, which she trusts 
may be permanent. 

This case presents a sad and dark picture in the history of 
womanhood. An intemperate woman, through the blasting and 
blighting influence of liquor, leaving her home, and like the 
prodigal, spending her substance in riotous living, and at 
length being compelled to feed on the husks. A fallen woman 
seeking pleasure away from home with all its endearments. 
Alas ! alas ! " There is no peace saith my God unto the wicked. 
Whither, oh, wither can they fly as wretched wanderers from 
their homes ? " 

" Home, sweet home ! 
There is no place like home ! " 

It is a divine institution. A place of rest and peace and joy. 
To forsake home is to despise bliss and accept woe. It is to 
reject felicity and receive sorrow. When God has been so kind 
as to furnish a peaceable, well-governed home, nothing should 
tempt the young to leave it. All that is necessary for pure 
pleasure can be found in the family circle. The unwary are 
sometimes induced to leave home through false representations, 
and a desire to gratify every earthly propensity. Idle curi- 
osity may be greatly augmented, and the new acquaintances 
formed may, for the time being, partially please the senses ; but 
the calm recollection of former unalloyed joys in the cottage 
home naturally extorts the old cry from pale quivering lips, and 
a broken heart, " I will arise and go to my father, and will say : 
father I have sinned against heaven and before thee," 



122 



Gathering Jewels. 



Such a course of turning to God, and such a cry, is always 
richly rewarded. Personal reformation is not only gratifying 
to relatives and friends, but well-pleasing to God. " Won to 
reformation " by the Bible woman through the omnipotence of 
loving kindness ! We are reminded by this incident of a story we 
heard told by the late John B. Gough. It was part of his expe- 
rience a few days after he became a total abstainer. He had 
returned to work. But his burning thirst for liquor was intense. 
In his agony of mind and body, he said to his employer, " I 
have signed the pledge. " The reply was, "You will keep it 
about a week." "If so, then I will go and get a drink now, for 
I cannot endure this awful agony any longer," he retorted. He 
rushed out of the room and down the stairs leading .to the 
street, when he was accosted by the kind, gentle voice of a 
strange gentleman who met him. 

" How do you do, Mr. Gough ? I am so glad to see you ; I 
was delighted to see you at the meeting last night, and I am so 
thankful that you had courage given you to go forward and 
sign the pledge. I simply called over to shake you by the 
hand and wish you God speed in your noble endeavor. Here 
is my card ; I want you to call at my office, as I desire to get 
acquainted with you." Those kind words entered into his heart, 
and from that auspicious hour he resolved to be steadfast and 
immovable in his renunciation of his drinking habits. 

God loves and prospers those who, like Jesus, speak kind 
words of encouragement to those who have gone astray from 
the paths of rectitude. The brevity and uncertainty of life 
ought to teach us the practical lesson that if we would save men 
and women from their sins we must be watchful and willing at 
all times to rescue the wanderers from their critical condition, 
constantly remembering that He has said, " Let the wicked for- 
sake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him 
return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to 
our God for he will abundantly pardon," 



Destitution and Reformation. 



123 



u When I was hungry ye gave me meat ; when I was thirsty 
ye gave me drink ; naked, and ye clothed me." Little did this 
noble-minded woman think that when she was entering her 
daily experience in her diary that her deeds of charity were to 
be brought to light after death. A story is told of Xeno- 
phon, the disciple of Socrates, that while offering a solemn sac- 
rifice he heard that his eldest son was slain at Mantinea. 
He did not, however, desist, but only laid down his crown and 
asked how he had fallen. When he understood that his son had 
fallen in battle fighting bravely for his country, he calmly re- 
placed the crown upon his head, calling the gods to witness that 
he received greater pleasure from the bravery of his son, than 
pain from his death. We do not, naturally speaking, like to lose 
our loved ones, but when we think of their bravery and fidelity, 
we feel disposed to praise God for them. O, what transcendent 
dignity and honor are conferred on the faithful at the hour of 
death. It seems there is a reciprocal response on earth to the 
acclamations of heaven perpetually ringing in the ears of the 
ransomed, "Well done, good and faithful servant." 

The Church's loss is her gain. Still the deeds of mercy call 
forth praise. Let us ever remember that a holy and just and 
good God is treasuring up all our words of faith and labors of 
love against the great day of account — the day of recognition 
and remuneration. Pollock beautifully describes the man or 
woman like her of whom we write, a person of enlarged benevo- 
lence and liberality, as practically illustrated in the foregoing 
authentic record of Christian experience. He says : 

1 1 Breathe all thy minstrelsy, immortal harp ! 

Breathe numbers warm with love while I rehearse, 
Delightful theme ! remembering the songs 
Which day and night are sung before the Lamb! 
Thy praise, O Charity ! thy labors most 
Divine ! thy sympathy with sighs, and tears, 
And groans ; thy great, thy god-like wish to heal 



124 



Gathering Jewels. 



All misery, all fortune's wounds ; and make 

The soul of every living thing rejoice — 

A finishing and polish without which 

No man e'er entered heaven. Let me record 

His praise ; the man of great benevolence, 

Who pressed thee softly to his glowing heart, 

And to thy gentle bidding made his feet 

Swift minister of all mankind, his soul 

Was most in sympathy with heaven ; 

Nor did he wait till to his door, 

The voice of supplication came, but went abroad 

With foot as silent as the starry dews, 

In search of misery that pined unseen, 

And would not ask. And who can tell what sights 

She saw, what groans she heard in that cold world 

Below, where sin in league with gloomy death, 

March daily through the length and breadth of all 

The land, wasting at will and making earth, 

Fair earth ! a lazer-house, a dungeon dark ! 

Oh, who can tell what sights she saw, what shapes 

Of wretchedness ! or who describe what smile 

Of gratitude illumed the face of woe ? " 

Similarity of character is the firmest bond for forming perma- 
nent friendship, hence Christ says to all his followers, Ye are my 
friends, if ye do whatsoever I command thee. A glance at the 
picture presented to us in St. John's gospel, eleventh chapter, at 
the Feast of the Passover of the Jews, remind us of the charac- 
ter and spirit of Jesus when he took the loaves, and when he 
had given thanks he distributed to the disciples, and the disci- 
ples to the multitude who were set down upon the grass. For 
services of this kind God selects his servants. By rilling them 
with the spirit of Jesus, they are thus thoroughly qualified to 
minister to the necessitous. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



HER FAITHFULNESS IN LITTLE THINGS. 

There are small things in daily life 

In which I may obey, 
And thus may show my love to Thee; 

And always — every day — 
There are some little loving words 

Which I for Thee may say. 

" He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful in much." 

She continues to write with her usual forcible descriptiveness : 
" I found a mother and daughter in a damp room, on the ground 
floor of a tenement building, in a wretched condition. The room 
was furnished with a broken stove, one chair, two trunks, and 
some bedding spread on the floor, as they had no bedstead. Both 
were very lame, and the girl quite feeble for want of care and 
nourishment. After relieving their immediate wants, I tried to 
lead them to Christ. The girl was so sick and discouraged it 
was difficult to convince her that any one cared for her, but at 
length she cried, and said, ' How nice it is to have some one 
talk kindly to me.' From that time she began to read the Bible 
for herself, and would often speak to me of different passages 
of the Scriptures. But after a while the landlord ordered them 
to move, because they could not pay their rent, and with some 
effort I succeeded in sending the mother into the country, and 
placing the girl in a hospital. 

" Two other persons, who through a blessing on my labors 
have become deeply interested, and even led to study the Bible, 
have now openly professed Christ." 



126 



Gathering Jewels. 



Take another glance at the above touching scene and behold 
the lively exercise of her wonderful sagacity and powers of ob- 
servation. This graphic representation of squalor and consum- 
mate misery gives pre-eminence to her adaptedness as a success- 
ful missionary of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. The eyes of 
the blessed Jesus, the model worker, were not closed to the wants 
and woes of humanity, hence his formidable power in prepar- 
ing an entrance into the hearts of the people. Her Christ-like 
visits, carrying the rich treasure of the glad tidings, found an 
echo in the soul of those she visited. Although her elementary 
education had been sadly neglected, yet nevertheless, by her 
close study of God's Word and her varied experience for over 
fifty years in the lower part of a city like New York, she knew 
full well how to adapt herself to circumstances. Let us calmly 
follow her footsteps into this lofty tenement building and watch 
her movements. See how minutely she describes the sad scene. 
If a murder had been committed in the house and a reporter from 
the New York Herald, or any other paper, had called to take 
notes, he could not have been more minute in his description of 
the surroundings than she. All the collateral or subordinate 
information essentially necessary to convey an accurate idea of 
a true picture peculiarly calculated to throw a flood of light on 
the whole panorama are carefully furnished us by her notes. 
And here we are forcibly reminded of the pithy and succinct 
saying of Scotia's beloved bard, Burns : 

" A chiel's amang ye taking notes." 

Notice how she enumerates the persons and things in the apart- 
ment. The mother and daughter. The damp room. The 
ground floor. The wretchedness. The broken stove. The 
one chair. The two trunks. The bedding spread on the floor. 
The absence of a bedstead. The lameness. The feebleness. 
How consummate the skill displayed in her graphic and touch- 
ing description of pitiable facts emanating from her pen with such 



Her Faithfulness in Little Things. 



127 



brilliancy of rhetorical power ; and all spontaneously springing 
not from the schools of moral and intellectual philosophy, but 
from the school of Christ Jesus her Lord who said to his sor- 
rowful disciples : " These things have I spoken unto you, being 
yet present with you, but the Comforter, which is the Holy 
Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you 
all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I 
have mid unto you." The Paraclete, who is infinitely competent 
to perform the instruction necessary amid all the exigencies of 
life, and by whose divine influence every difficulty and trial is 
easily adjusted, was evidently her great instructor. 

"The girl," she says, "was quite feeble for want of care and 
nourishment. In a public address recently delivered in this city 
by the good and kind Dr. John Hall, of the Fifth Avenue Pres- 
byterian Church, at the opening of a Newsboys' Lodging House, 
on the corner of Eighth Street and Avenue B, an institution 
built through the liberality of Mrs. Robert L. Stuart, at a cost of 
85c. 000, the doctor said, "A man left to himself will choose the 
bad rather than the good, because the majority do, and it is 
easier besides. As crime breeds misery, so misery too often 
breeds crime. We should take note of this fact and try to mend it" 

Mr. Bruce, another speaker, said "thousands of children, 
assisted, have gone West, and now own farms and are prosper- 
ous." He concluded his address by asking the boys to cheer 
Mrs. Stuart, which they did gratefully for their new home provid- 
ed by this inestimable and generous lady. — New York Daily 
Tribune, Tuesday, March 29, 1887. 

It is the philanthropist's great aim to defend the moral honor 
of the homeless as well as to minister to their temporal neces- 
sities. This important service was rendered to thousands by 
our model missionary woman, and eternity alone will disclose 
the gigantic results. 

But let us more specifically analyze her course of conduct 
under the foregoing circumstance. In the first place she imme- 



128 



Gathering Jewels. 



diately relieved their wants. I have read somewhere the story of 
Dr. Guthrie when he was first called to the metropolis of Edin- 
burgh. Of their filling his pockets with tracts, and with all the 
ardor of his noble heart, commenced his great work. He 
ascended the creaking stairs of a high building in the old town, 
and knocking at the door, an elderly woman made her appear- 
ance, whereupon he proffered her a tract. Looking earnestly 
upon him, and in a loud shrill voice she exclaimed, pathetically : 
" ' Deed, Sir, I dinna want yeer tracts, I weed thank ye for a loaf 
o' breed." Ah ! he thought to himself, here is a case of destitu- 
tion, and excusing himself he hurried down-stairs, and going to 
the baker he ordered bread, and to the butcher he ordered beef, 
and to the grocer he ordered some English breakfast tea and 
sugar, a few dainties, and a cart of coal, and requested them to 
be sent at once to the woman in want. Calling a few days 
afterward he found her comfortably seated with a neighbor 
around a cheerful hearthstone drinking their newly made tea. 
When she opened the door she enthusiastically exclaimed, 
" Come awa, noo, Doctor, I am ready to hear you on the sub- 
ject o' religion." Our departed sister also recognized the ne- 
cessity of attending to the temporal as well as the spiritual wants 
of her parishioners simultaneously. " After relieving their wants 
I tried to lead them to Christ." 

We shall now proceed to show that this incident, in con- 
formity to the teaching of God's Word, assures us that suffering 
and want are the means used by the kind providence of God to 
lead the careless sinner to seek a saving interest in the Lord 
Jesus Christ. David says, " Before I was afflicted I went astray ? 
and thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me." He delivereth the 
poor in his affliction. " The Lord will not cast us off forever. 
But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion accord- 
ing to the multitude of his mercies." And here is the reason 
given : " For He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children 
of men" — Lam. iii. 31-33. 



Her Faithfulness in Little Things. 



129 



In this instructive part of the diary we find described a 
truly pathetic and animated scene. A humble missionary wo- 
man leading souls to Christ. This employment excites the deep 
interest and profound admiration of heaven. The general 
assembly and church of the first born above are intently gazing 
on, not as idle spectators, but the angels may be observed press- 
ing through the crowd of crowned ones with glory-lit face, and 
sanctified step, communicating the cheering intelligence of ac- 
cessions to the ranks of the church militant which must swell the 
highest strains of celestial music and deeply increase and aug- 
ment the joy of the church triumphant. 

In the hour of deep distress this woman was sent by God to 
relieve the wants of this stricken household, and at the same 
time lead them "to the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of 
the world." There are many, alas, who see no beauty in the 
despised Nazarene until, by deep suffering, they are absolutely 
compelled to completely renounce self and to fall down, wounded 
and bleeding and bruised and heart-broken at the feet of Him 
who shed the last drop of his crimson blood on the Cross of 
Calvary for our salvation. 

" Two others," she adds, " at this date, have been led to study 
the Bible and have openly professed Christ." What extraordinary 
events cluster around this special agency employed by the Holy 
Spirit to bring about such a glorious result. It is the enemy's 
intention to lead persons in distress and misery to commit crime. 
This is the testimony of all history, but God saves His own in the 
hour of peril, and not unfrequently by weak instrumentalities. 
Near Loch Katrine, encircled by lofty mountains and where the 
scenery which fringes it is of the wildest character ; where, as 
Scott says in his " Lady of the Lake," the briar rose and fell in 
streamers green, 

And creeping shrubs of thousand dyes, 
Waved in the west wind's summer sighs, 
Boon nature scattered free and wild 



Gatheriitg Jewels. 



Each plant or flower, the mountain's child, 
Here eglantine embalmed the air, 
Hawthorn and hazel mingled there. 
The primrose pale and violet flower, 
Found in each cliff's narrow bower ; 
Foxglove and nightshade side by side, 
Emblems of punishment and pride ; 
Gray birch and aspen wept beneath ; 
Aloft the ash and warrior oak, 
Cast anchor in the rifted rock ; 
And higher yet the pine-tree hung, 
His shattered trunk, and frequent flung 
Where seemed the cliff to meet on high, 
His boughs athwart the narrow sky, 
So wondrous wild, the whole might seem 
The scenery of a fairy dream. 

Here, in a roughly wooded island, the country people secreted 
their wives and children, and their most valuable effects from 
the rapacity of Cromwell's soldiers during their inroad into 
Scotland. The soldiers resolved to plunder this island ; an ex- 
pert swimmer swam toward it to fetch the boat to his comrades, 
which had carried the women to their place of refuge. It lay 
moored in one of the creeks ; his companions stood watching 
on the shore ; but just as the soldier reached the nearest 
point of the island, and was laying hold of a black rock to get 
on shore, a heroine who stood on the very point where he meant 
to land, hastily snatching a dagger from below her tartan apron, 
with one quick, sharp stroke severed his jugular vein, killing him 
instantly. 

The soldiers on the other shore seeing the disaster, relin- 
quished all future hope of revenge or conquest, and made the 
best of their way out of a perilous position. Thus the women 
and children and valuables were saved by the bravery of this 
noble heroine, Ellen Stuart. Such is the way God saves the 
family to-day, by guiding the feet of our missionary to many a 



Her Faithfulness in Little Things. 



distressed household, instantly relieving their wants, and put- 
ting in their hands the Word of the Spirit which is the Word of 
God. Let this record be an incentive to others to go and do 
likewise, by pleading for the poor and the fatherless. God grant 
that her words may be as goads to arouse sleepy professors to a 
realizing sense of their great obligation to Him who is the God 
of Israel, our father's God, and we will trust Him. 



CHAPTER XIV, 



THE POWER OF INFLUENCE. 

I cannot do great things for Him 

Who did so much for me ; 
But I would like to show my love, 

Lord Jesus, unto Thee ; 
Faithful in very little things, 

O Saviour ! may I be. 

* 

In the course of her daily missionary work Mrs. Knowles met 
with the following interesting case which she herself records : 

" Calling on a poor afflicted widow, I found her in great want, 
much discouraged, and very sad ; she said she did not feel much 

desire to live. 

"'Can you not trust God?' I said. 'Have you not always 
been cared for V 

" Her little boy, a child of six years, was sitting by her side 
scribbling on a slate. He looked up and said : 

" ' Mamma, do you know what God says V 

" 'What?' said she. 

" ' He that believeth on me hath everlasting life ; and God 
don't want our money. He don't want us to pay the debt with 
money.' 

" 'What does He want ? ' said she. 

" ' He wants our hearts, and won't you trust Him, mamma?' 
" This roused the mother at once. 

" ' Oh, how wicked I have been!' she exclaimed, ' to murmur 
against the will of the Almighty. I will trust Him, for He has 



The Power of Influence. 



always cared for me in the past, and I will trust Him for the 
future/ " 

I cannot refrain from making a few comments on this case, 
and drawing a lesson therefrom. 

Trust in the Lord, and do good, so shalt thou dwell in the 
land, and verily thou shalt be fed. — Ps. xxxvii. 3. 

He hath given meat unto them that fear Him ; He will ever 
be mindful of His covenant. — Ps. cxi. 5. 
• I will abundantly bless her provision, I will satisfy her poor 
with bread. — Ps. exxxii. 15. 

He filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. — Ps. cxlvii. 14. 

The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul. — Proverbs 
xiii. 25. 

Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they 
reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth 
them : Are ye no'; much better than they ? — Matt. vi. 26. 

And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied. — Joel ii. 26. 

Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry : Be- 
hold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty. — Isaiah 
lxv. 13. 

Suggestive Observations for Christian Workers. 

What a deeply interesting and instructive picture is here pre- 
sented to our view. Notice the synopsis : 

Destitution. — " In great want" — This missionary was sent by 
God to this house — sent like the raven to Elijah. Man's ex- 
tremity is God's opportunity. He frequently overrules poverty, 
and it contributes to the good of His children. 

Discouragement. — Confidence in God's promises, the great 
panacea for all the difficulties of life. ,k Wont you trust Him?" 
the child asked. 

Despondency. — This widow was " very sad" When there is no 
bread in the house and the children are clamorous for food, it 
is enough to produce despondency. But afflicted women should 



134 



Gathering Jewels. 



remember that God has promised to be a husband to the widow 
and a father to the fatherless. 

Despair. — "No desire to live." — A sad, very sad condition! 
When God sends affliction it is our duty to pray and not des- 
pair. Amid the gloom of earth's trials, the Holy Spirit alone 
can cheer ; sorrow and despair can be changed, by God's match- 
less grace, into gratitude and gladness. Newton used to say, 
when inclined to dark, foreboding feelings : 

Begone, unbelief, for my Saviour is near, 

And for my relief will surely appear ; 

By prayer let me wrestle and he will perform ; 

With Christ in the vessel, I can smile at the storm. 

Light Amid Darkness. 

God's Word assures us that a little child shall lead them. — 
" Mamma, do you know what God says ? He that believeth in 
me hath everlasting life." To behold Christ the light of the 
world is everlasting life. 

Strong devotion to children will lead us to notice their sayings 
and doings. — What a beautiful and forcible illustration is this 
incident recorded by her, the sayings of Christ, " out of the 
mouth of babes and sucklings he hath perfected praise." God 
is always doing wonders. He confounds the mighty. 

Children are Chrisfs best representatives. — To teach the disci- 
ples humility he set the child in their midst and said, " Except 
ye be converted and become as little children ye shall in no 
wise enter into the kingdom of heaven." The day spring from 
on high visited this family. 

Love Remembered begets Confidence in God. 

/ will trust Him for He has always cared for me in the past. 
— How beautifully appropriate in this connection is the twenty- 
third Psalm, that we used to sing among the purple heather in 



The Power of Influence. 



135 



the sunny days of childhood with those who have gone home to 
yonder land of light and love. 

The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want. 

He makes me down to lie 
In pasture's green ; he leadeth me 

The quiet waters by. 
My soul he doth restore again 

And me to walk doth make 
Within the paths of righteousness 

Ev'n for his own name's sake. 
Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale, 

Yet will I fear none ill, 
For thou art with me ; and thy rod 

And staff me comfort still. 
My table thou hast furnished 

In presence of my foes ; 
My head thou dost with oil anoint, 

And my cup overflows. 
Goodness and mercy all my life 

Shall surely follow me ; 
And in God's house for evermore 

My dwelling place shall be. 

Said an old Christian (a member of my church) seventy-eight 
years of age, whose dear partner of his joys and sorrows whom 
I called to see in her deep affliction (for she had fallen and 
broken a limb), as I read the above psalm to them before engag- 
ing in prayer, " I remember when a boy at home of hearing my 
dear kind mother rocking the children to sleep singing that good 
old psalm of the Hebrew bard." 

I received a telegram recently to call and see a wealthy manu- 
facturer's mother from Ayrshire, who was stricken with paralysis. 
As I entered the room and took her hand, I said : 

" I suppose you feel now in your sickness that the Lord is 
your shepherd." 

"Yes," said she, "and He leadeth me beside the still waters." 
Shortly afterward she peacefully fell asleep in Jesus. 



CHAPTER XV. 



MISCELLANEOUS EXTRACTS FROM HER DIARY. 

Have you heard of that wonderful city, 

Whose walls are of jasper and gold ? 
Whose inhabitants ever are happy, 

And never grow weary or old ? 

Have you heard of those emblems of vict'ry, 

That all of the glorified bear ? 
Of the star-bedecked crowns of rejoicing 

Which all of the ransomed shall wear ? 

Her Gratitude to the New York Flower Mission. — In 
the middle of a busy summer she writes : " The Flower Mission 
has enabled me to bring some brightness and pleasure to the 
sufferers on sick beds, for which I am very grateful." 

Her ardent love of " sweet, sweet nature " is fully exemplified 
by frequent visits to the New York Flower Mission Society's 
Rooms. 

How refreshing to the sight of the sufferer are those gifts of 
earth's adornment. And how pleasing are the words of the poet 
Burns : 

" The snowdrop and primrose the woodlands adorn 
And the violets they bathe in the weet of the morn." 

The Young Jewess. — Writing under this head, she says : 
"Some time since I became acquainted with a young Jewess, 
who was very sick. I visited her from time to time, carrying 
her some little comforts and a bouquet of flowers. I also read 
and prayed with her, which displeased her mother. But ere 



Miscellaneous Extracts from Her Diary. 



157 



long her daughter became a Christian, and when I asked her 
one day if she fully believed in Jesus as her Messiah, she re- 
plied, 'Oh, yes.' She always came to church, but being an in- 
valid and dependent on her mother, she could not come out 
boldly and confess Christ. I have learned since that she has 
married a Christian man, is a member of the Presbyterian Church, 
and is a happy woman." 

It is quite possible for this young Jewess in her sickness to 
have been led to the holy cross of Jesus through the mission- 
ary's thoughtfulness in bringing sunshine into this sick room by 
those beauitful and fragrant flowers. 

The Forsaken German Woman. — Of this case she states : 
u A poor woman who had come from Germany not long ago, 
felt herself forsaken by all, and longed for her old home. Tell- 
ing her of the love of Christ, she seemed to receive God's word 
with gratitude, and was very thankful for the little temporal aid 
I could give her." 

The great charm in her life was her almost universal benevo- 
lence to all in deep distress. Consider this German woman for- 
saken and far from her native home. She sighed for 

Her dear sweet fatherland, and gazed across the sea, 
But could not get a blink o' her ain countrie. 

Oh ! how blessed ! truly blessed are those who are thus like 
minded. Oh ! the rich and inestimable value of such a life. 
Who can really estimate the power of such human affection? 
It is emphatically real, true, solid, and substantial. How influen- 
tial ! How full of Christ-like generosity ! Where can we find 
one so full of the spirit of her dear master? Her life was spent 
for the temporal as well as the spiritual welfare of those with 
whom she was providentially brought in contact. 

See how tenderly she noticed the change wrought among her 
parishioners, after her return from a short respite from her in- 
cessant labors. Some were dead, others were sick. To minister 



Gathering Jewels. 



to these was her continuous occupation. She felt her days were 
short, and as she remarked on her own death-bed, " I must finish 
my work." Hence, short were her intervals of repose. She 

says : 

" The prospects of the poor are beginning to brighten. 
Some, who have been out of work for some time, have now 
found employment. In the month of February, of th? two 
hundred families I visited, forty on whom their families were 
depending for support were without any employment. I have 
gathered several into the church and the Sabbath-school, as well 
as the prayer-meeting, which is well attended. God help the 
poor ! " 

And again, after a somewhat short respite from her labors, 
she writes : 

" On my return from my vacation, I found many sick, and some 
had been called away from this life. Mrs. L., whom I had long 
visited, had fallen asleep in Jesus. Another poor woman who 
had lost her husband and a darling child was greatly afflicted. 
She was willing and glad to hear of the Saviour who knows all 
our sorrows, and has promised to comfort the afflicted with His 
own presence." 

Yes, this is emphatically true. For what sayeth God through 
the Prophet Isaiah : 

" Oh ! Israel, fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called 
thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passeth through 
the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they 
shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, 
thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon 
thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, 
thy Saviour. I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Sebia 
for thee. Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been 
honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men 
for thee, and people for thy life." 



Miscellaneous Extracts from Her Diary, 



139 



A Storm of Starvation, Sickness, and Death. — The 
Widow's Lament. — A Father and Three Children 
Rescued. — The Stranger in the City. — " During the last 
month I have met with a great deal of destitution, many persons 
out of employment, several families without fire or food, and the 
most of them had never known want before, but knew not where 
to apply for aid. 

" One poor woman, whose husband was in the Island Hospital^ 
I called to see on the Wednesday before the last great storm. 
She had just sent her little boy to see his father, and was, with 
her five children, without fire or food. The day before she had 
divided her last five cent loaf among them. I immediately went 
to the Visitor of the district, who gave her groceries and coal, 
but before she received the aid word came that her husband 
was dead. She is a Protestant, but has been living in careless 
neglect of her duty to God. She now became very penitent, 
and lamented her past life, believing, as she herself affirmed, that 
God had been afflicting her for her sins I think I shall be able 
to get her aid from the Widows' Society. 

"Some time ago, visiting in a tenement "house, I inquired at 
one of the doors if there were any children there who did not 
go to Sabbath-school, and was answered by a boy that he did 
not go. I then asked him to go to our school. He consented, 
and on the following Sabbath three of the children came, and 
since then have induced their father to attend church, and he 
appears to be one of the most attentive hearers there. 

" A few days since I visited the family, and found his wife to 
be a very interesting woman. As I entered the room, the chil- 
dren told their mother I was from the church. She seemed glad 
to see me, and told me of the many trials she had met with' 
She was a stranger in the city, having recently come in from the 
country, where they had lived in comfort, but since then have 
been greatly reduced. She wept sore, as she told me that her 
husband had no employment at present. He. looks over the 



140 



Gathering Jewels. 



papers every day, but as yet can find no situation. I begged 
her not to be discouraged, but put her trust in the Lord, and He 
would not forsake her. She said she felt much encouraged from 
the interest her husband had taken in matters of religion, and 
regretted she had never made a profession herself. Before I 
left I prayed with her, and when I bade her good-by, she put 
her arms around my neck and wept, saying it was the Lord who 
sent me to her, and asked me to come soon and often. 

" That same evening her husband attended our prayer-meeting, 
and it was remarked by several present how very attentive and 
interested he appeared." 

Fidelity in the performance of duty is always rewarded by 
getting assistance from kind Christian friends. The last five 
cent loaf is divided among the children. It is a terrible picture 
to study. A storm without, starvation within, and a father sick 
in the hospital. Can you imagine a more heartrending scene 
than the one so graphically portrayed by this missionary woman ? 
Picture the moral heroism displayed in her tender appeals for 
help to this death-stricken household. 

Bible illustrations 'are always the best : 

" Thou preparest a table, before me in the presence of mine 
enemies : thou anointest my head with oil : my cup runneth 
over." — Ps. xxiii. 5. 

"There is no want to them that fear Him. They that seek 
the Lord shall not want any good thing." — Ps. xxxiv. 9-10. 

" Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, 
and all these things shall be added unto you." — Matt. vi. 33. 

"My God shall supply all your need, according to his riches 
in glory by Christ Jesus." — Phil. iv. 19. 

"Godliness with contentment is great gain. Who giveth us 
richly all things to enjoy." — 1 Tim. vi. 6, 17. 

" I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall 
eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body, what ye shall 
put on : is not the life more than meat, and the body than rai- 



Miscellaneous Extracts from Her Diary. 



ment ? Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which 
to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much 
more clothe you, O ye of little faith ? Therefore, take no thought, 
saying, What shall we eat ? or, What shall we drink ? or, where- 
withal shall we be clothed ? For your heavenly Father knoweth 
that ye have need of all these things." — Matt. vi. 25, 30-32. 

Discouragement axd Encouragement. 

She begged this woman not to be discouraged, but to put her 
trust in the Lord. How comforting is the word in this con- 
nection, kk He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most 
high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say 
of the Lord, He is my fortress ; my God, in Him will I trust." 

1. Consider the happiness of those who put their trust in the 
Lord. Everyone who neglects to do this may reasonably ex- 
pect that God will hide his face from them. 

2. See the benefits that flow from the reciprocal influence of 
religion. She felt encouraged because her husband was inter- 
ested in religion. 

3. Trials ought to be spiritually discerned. We form a very 
wrong estimate of religion if we think that God's gifts of grace 
are invariably conferred upon the prosperous. Many have the 
smiles of His providence who are not basking in the sunshine 
of His reconciling countenance. 

If we Forsake God, He will also Forsake us. 

She had not discharged her duty to God, etc. — How quickly 
she recognized the vital importance of discharging duty to God 
as infinitely superior to all others. Penitence for sin omitted 
and committed against a holy Being who has purer eyes than to 
behold iniquity. This thought is put in the foreground ; sin 
brings affliction. Repentance was the first subject selected bv 
John, and Christ himself, to proclaim to the people of Palestine, 



142 



Gathering Jewels, 



" Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand." Why does it 
imply simply a change of mind ? 

Laments her past life. — Living in the careless neglect of her 
duty to God, she censures herself, evidently experiencing that 
Godly sorrow for sin which needeth not to be repented of. How 
many, alas ! sadly neglect to confess and forsake their sin until 
the setting of life's sun. 

He consented, etc. — The old story-telling with gentle, winning 
words, at the door of the tenement-house, accompanied with 
the loving invitation to come to Jesus, are deeply impregnated 
with never-ceasing influence. Three children and a father per- 
suaded to attend the means of grace on the Sabbath, in God's 
sanctuary. What a striking reflection of the character of Him 
who sat weary and way-worn on Jacob's well. Surely a truly 
devoted missionary of the holy cross of Jesus is an angel on 
this sin -blighted earth, where, through penury and sorrow, 
hearts are almost crushed with despair. She is Christ's ambas. 
sador. 

Seemed glad to see me, etc. — Why, dear Christian reader ? Be- 
cause she brought rays of heavenly sunshine of God's peace 
and gratitude and gladness into many a benighted heart ; thus 
inspiring, encouraging, and arousing within the soul blessed re- 
membrances of a covenant-keeping God, even toward His poor, 
wayward, backsliding children. 

What an unspeakable privilege to unbosom one's trials and 
difficulties into the ear of a faithful servant of God. But ought 
we not to thank the Father of Light that the throne of grace 
has been erected, and we are kindly invited to come boldly into 
His immediate presence, through the rent veil of our Redeem- 
er's flesh, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in 
every time of need ? 

Consider the change from comfort in the country to circum- 
stances of cheerlessness in the city. Many make a sad mistake 
in leaving their country home to come to the city to be crowded 



Miscellaneous Extracts from Her Diary. 



143 



in a tenement-house. Drawn thither, perhaps, by the glare and 
din and bustle, to mingle in the sin and sorrow. She described 
the woman as weeping sorely. "Weeping may endure for a 
night, but joy cometh in the morning." What an inexpressible 
comfort to those who feel their loneliness in the city, then Jesus 
wept and said that he was friendless and homeless. " He 
hath trodden the wine-press alone, of the people there was none 
with him." 

Poverty and hunger is a great temptation to a woman in the 
city. How comforting to know that Christ was tempted in this 
respect. For we read in God's divinely inspired word : 

" Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness tz be 
tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and 
forty nights, he afterward hungered. And the tempter came 
and said unto him: If thou art the son of God, command that 
these stones become bread. But he answered and said: It is 
written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word 
that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil 
taketh him into the holy city ; and he set him on the pinnacle 
of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou art the Son of God, 
cast thyself down: for it is written, 

He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: 
And on their hands they shall bear thee up, 
Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. 

" Jesus said unto him, Again it is written, Thou shalt not 
tempt the Lord thy God." — Matt. iv. 68. 

To such weary ones we would say, remember the words of 
the blessed Jesus : " Let not your hearts be troubled," etc., for 

I have read of a land whose inhabitants say 

" I am sick, I am weary," no more, 
And I pine, 'mid the burdens and heat of the day, 

For a glimpse of that life-giving shore. 



144 



Gathering Jewels. 



Eye hath not seen it, and ear hath not heard, 
Yet all my spirit with longing- is stirred; 
Oh, glory exceeding my heart's utmost pleading ! 
Eternal, eternal the weight of thy bliss ! 

On Resisting Temptation. — Thomas A. Kempis says : So long 
as we live in this world we cannot be without tribulation and 
temptation. 

Hence it is written in Job, " The life of man upon earth is a 
life of temptation." 

Every one therefore ought to be careful about his temptations, 
and to watch in prayer, lest the devil find an advantage to 
deceive him; for he never sleepeth, but goeth about, seeking 
whom he may devour. 

No man is so perfect and holy, but he hath sometimes temp- 
tations, and we cannot be altogether without them. 

Nevertheless temptations are often very profitable to us, 
though they be troublesome and grievous ; for in them a man 
is humbled, purified, and instructed. 

All the Saints passed through man's tribulations and temp- 
tations, and profited thereby. 

And they that could not bear temptations, became reprobate, 
and fell away. 

There is no order so holy, nor place so secret, as that there 
be not temptations, or adversities in it. 

There is no man that is altogether free from temptations 
whilst he liveth on earth: for the root thereof is in ourselves, 
who are born with inclination to evil. 

When one temptation or tribulation goeth away, another 
cometh; and we shall ever have something to suffer, because 
we are fallen from the state of our felicity. 

Many seek to fly temptations, and fall more grievously into 
them. 

By flight alone we cannot overcome, but by patience and true 
humility we become stronger than all our enemies. 



Miscellaneous Extracts from Her Diarj. 



MS 



He that only avoideth them outwardly, and doth not pluck 
them up by the roots, shall profit little ; yea, temptations will the 
sooner return unto him, and will be more violent than before. 

By little and little, and by the very beginning, unlearn evil 
habits, lest perhaps by little and little they draw thee to greater 
difficulty. 

Oh ! if thou didst but consider how much inward peace unto 
thyself, and joy unto others, thou wouldst procure by demeaning 
thyself well, I think that thou wouldst be more careful of thy 
spiritual progress. 

Of the Profit of Adversity. — It is good that we have some- 
times some troubles and crosses; for they often make a man 
enter into himself, and consider that he is here in banishment, 
and ought not to place his trust in any worldly thing. 

It is good that we be sometimes contradicted, and that men 
think ill or inadequately ; and this, although we do and intend 
well. 

These things help often to the attaining of humility, and 
defend us from vain glory : for then we are more inclined to 
seek God for our inward witness, when outwardly we be con- 
temned by men, and when there is no credit given unto us. 

And therefore a man should settle himself so fully in God, 
that he needs not to seek many comforts of men.' 

When a good man is afflicted, tempted, or troubled with evil 
thoughts, then he understandeth better the great need he hath 
of God, without whom he perceiveth he can do nothing that is 
good. 

Then also he sorroweth, lamenteth, and prayeth, by reason of 
the miseries he suffereth. 

Then he is weary of living longer, and wisheth that death 
would come, that he might depart and be with Christ. 

Then also he well perceiveth, that perfect security and full 
peace cannot be had in this world. 

Before I left, I prayed with her. — This brings before us 



146 



Gathering Jewels. 



another very touching scene in the life of St. Paul. His final 
farewell to the elders of Ephesus. When he had spoken unto 
them he kneeled down and prayed with them all. And they all 
wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him. Sorrowing 
most of all for the words which he spoke, that they should see 
his face no more, and they accompanied him unto the ship. If 
this course was persistently pursued by all Christian workers how 
manifold would be the blessings conferred on our labors. It 
would be found that many a poor sin-burdened heart would be 
instantly relieved of its load of care. For " if we ask, we shall 
receive." 

We are called upon, not to go forth in our own name, or in 
our own strength, but in the name of Him who said, " Lo ! I 
am with you alway, even to the end of the world ; " and when 
one reflects on the many sad scenes and circumstances with 
which she was constantly surrounded, we ought to thank God 
that in every age of the Christian Church, he has raised up men 
and women who were willing to go with the name of Jesus to 
the distressed and dying, and to speak that name in all its liv- 
ing power. 

A Mother and Daughter given a Bible and its Result. 

Of this incident she writes : " A woman and her daughter, 
whom I have been visiting for some time, and to whom I have 
given a Bible, have become greatly changed, and attended our 
place of worship last Sabbath. They gave evidence of having 
been very deeply impressed. The mother said, with the Lord 
helping her, she will live no longer as she has done. This 
woman has been greatly tried. On the day of the great storm, 
her husband left Washington, where he had been employed some 
time, and has never since been heard of. He was her only 
means of support, as the rest of the family were out of employ- 
ment. Her daughter is a very interesting young woman, and 



Miscellaneous Extracts from Her Diary. 



147 



would like a situation as seamstress and nurse. I would have 
no fear in recommending her to any one who might need her 
services." 

Notice, 1. That love and reverence for God's Word inspires 
one with a desire to distribute the Sacred Scriptures. There 
are various reasons for this. In the first place, because of the 
moral influence the revealed will of God has had on the world. 
When we think of the benign and salutary influence of the Bible 
by its circulation throughout the length and breadth of the land, 
nay. all lands, by the British and Foreign Bible Society, and 
the American Bible Society, we have great reason to rejoice at 
the marvellous success that has attended their labors. Surely it 
is indited by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It has been 
transmitted to us, from generation to generation, unaltered 
and uninjured ; the simple yet sublime boon — God's loving 
letters to mankind. 

11 What glory gilds the sacred page ! 
Majestic like the sun ! 
It gives a light to even* age ; 
It gives but borrows none." 

" The power that gave it still supplies 
The gracious light and heat ; 
Its truth upon the nations rise ; 
They rise but never set ! " 

In the beginning was the Word. Christ is the Word. It giv- 
eth light. Read His power in the Gospel. Notice the connec- 
tion between, natural light and spiritual faith in Christ. 

"And as they went out from Jericho, a great multitude fol- 
lowed Christ. And behold two blind men sitting by the way 
side, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, 
saying, Lord, have mercy on us. thou son of David. And the 
multitude rebuked them, that they should hold their peace ; but 



148 



Gathering Jewels. 



they cried out the more, saying, Lord, have mercy on us thou 
son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, 
What will ye that I should do unto you ? They say unto him, 
Lord, that our eyes may be opened. And Jesus being moved 
with compassion touched their eyes, and straightway they re- 
ceived their sight and followed him." 

2. The infinite superiority of the Divine Word to that of all 
earthly traditions, and the best literary productions is best 
judged by results. The works of Plato, Lycurgus, Demos- 
thenes, Homer, Virgil, Dante, Milton, Scott, Burns, Bryant, 
and Longfellow are not for one moment to be compared to the 
Bible. When Scott, the great writer, was departing life, he 
turned to his son-in-law, Lockhart, and said : 

" Bring me the Book." 

"What book?" asked Lockhart. 

" There is but one Book — the Bible ! " was the reply. What 
spiritual and spontaneous enthusiasm in Divine things are 
stirred within us when we read the sacred pages. 

Now turn to the picture painted by her who is now with the 
redeemed on high ; she says : 

"After receiving the Bible they were greatly changed \ and at- 
tended our place of worship on the Sabbath. They gave evidence 
of being now deeply impressed." What impressed them ? 
Two things worthy of notice : 1. The Word. 2. The Worship. 
Now, there are some people who imagine that they can go to 
heaven if they stay at home and read the Bible. This is all 
very well in its place, but we must not forget the assembling of 
ourselves together as the manner of some is. Some try to live 
a Christian life outside of the Church. This is a sad mistake. 



CHAPTER XVL 



STRUGGLES AND TRIUMPHS. 

Oh ! land of the blessed, thy shadowless skies 

Sometimes in my dreaming I see : 
I hear the glad songs that the glorified sing 

Steal over eternity's sea. 

Though dark are the shadows that gather between, 

I know that thy morning is fair ; 
I catch but a glimpse of thy glory and light, 

And whisper : Would God I were there J 

O Saviour, prepare my spirit to share 
Forever with thee those mansions fair. 

There is never a day so dreary but God by his Holy spirit can 
illumine the darkness by revealing to the Christian the home 
beyond the flood. " He giveth to his beloved songs in. the night." 
There is no pathway in life so intricate but what if we ask 
divine guidance He will give it. There are crosses in this 
brief life, that must be carried patiently and joyfully until the 
end of the journey. Oh ! how comforting is the thought that 
in all our afflictions Christ was afflicted, and the angel of His 
presence strengthened Him. Those hands that were nailed to 
the Cross on Calvary, are constantly stretched out to assist the 
way-worn traveller up the rugged road of life. There never 
was a human heart so crushed and broken by the sorrows of 
earth but what Christ can heal, for that heart that was broken 
on Golgotha pants and heaves toward earth's sufferers. How 
beautifully expressive is the paraphrase: 

11 Though now ascended up on high, 
He bends on earth a brother's eye," 



Gathering Jewels. 



The tender watch care of the God of Israel is the same to- 
day as it was when Ruth, the Moabitess, said unto Naomi : " Let 
me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in 
whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her : Go, 
my daughter. And she went, and came, and gleaned in the 
field after the reapers, and her hap was to light on a part of 
the field belonging unto Boaz. .... And, behold ! Boaz 
came from Bethlehem, and said unto the reapers : " The Lord 
be with you." (Ruth ii. 2-4.) In this whole narrative we behold 
the law of loving kindness of Jehovah strikingly exemplified 
through His own covenanted people. He reveals, in a marvel- 
lous manner, His grace and goodness to thousands of them that 
love Him and keep His commandments. Hence, the virtue of 
every benevolent transaction lies in the motive by which we 
are actuated. As Paul says : " The love of Christ constrains 
us." Whatever we give, whatever God's children do for the 
alleviation of the sorrows and sufferings of earth, they do it with 
an eye single to His glory, they continually hear Christ's voice 
saying unto them : " This do in remembrance of me." 

We see these principles practically illustrated in the wonderful 
experience of her whose struggles and triumphs for the blessed 
Christ we are now prayerfully considering. For example, in 
February, 1874, she writes : 

"Through the kindness of those interested in the poor, I 
have been enabled to supply the wants of many. One kind 
lady, belonging to the Bible Society, gave me ten dollars, part 
to assist one family with fuel and groceries, and the rest for 
another, where the husband had been ill for a long time, and 
finding it difficult to obtain employment, had been suffering for 
the common necessaries of life. I also received orders from 
this lady for coal and groceries, for other poor families, to be 
obtained through the visitors of the poor. 

"In one home where I placed some provisions on the table, 
a little boy said to his mother, ' Mamma, mustn't you get down 



Struggles and Triumphs. 



and pray, and thank God for these things ?' When I enter some 
of these homes they are full of sadness and gloom, but I am often 
thankful to feel I leave hope and cheerfulness behind me, when 
I go away. In the greater number of these families it is want 
of employment that causes the trouble — they are willing and 
anxious to work, but it cannot be procured. 

"One family, consisting of a husband, wife, and three chil- 
dren, the youngest ten days old, was found very destitute. 
They had parted with even every article of clothing, except 
what they had on, and had neither fuel nor food. The poor 
woman wept as she said, ' She had never before known such 
destitution.' I gave them some relief, and then engaged in 
prayer with them. They were both much affected, and said 
it was the first time a prayer had ever been offered in that house 
by any one. I sent them some coal, and procured other relief 
for them, and now they are comfortable, the man having ob- 
tained some work. 

"Another family, in which there are two children (the father 
dying of consumption — the mother very delicate), are wholly 
dependent on charity. The woman is very industrious, and 
always ready to do what she can, but it is hard to procure em- 
ployment. I have read and talked with the man, after supplying 
their temporal wants, and especially impressed upon him the 
promise, ' Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name it shall be given 
to you.' He listened — had been thinking of his past life — but 
he said all seemed dark to him. I have prayed with him, and 
he thought light broke in upon him. He said, 1 He saw more 
clearly,' and after some days professed to be happy. And now, 
while the tears rolled down his cheeks, he says, ' I am willing to 
go and (looking around on the little circle) resign all these 
into the arms of Jesus.' I prayed with him before I left. 

" A friend asked me to go and see a poor sick woman in the 
same destitute circumstances, the husband being out of work. 
A sad sight met my eyes; the poor woman lay coughing on the 



Gathering Jewels. 



bed, as if she could not last much longer, the children standing 
by the bed, dirty and uncared for ; the floor black, window cur- 
tain hanging in rags, while the mother could do nothing. They 
receive one dollar a week from the Poor Association. I assisted 
her, and promised to look to the children; talked with her and 
then read and prayed. She clasped my hand as I arose from 
my knees and said, ' You are the first person who ever prayed 
with me; oh ! it makes me happy, and I hope God will hear your 
prayers.' Trial seems to open the hearts of these poor ones to 
religious impressions. 

" A few days since, visiting a little girl (belonging to a Cath- 
olic family) who is in our Sewing-school, the mother put her 
hand in her pocket and took out some change, saying, i This is all 
the money I have at present, take it and use it for the poor ; 
I wish it was a great deal more, and,' she added, ' when you find 
any one hungry and wanting a loaf of bread, come to me, and I 
will give you some money ; my little girl often tells me what you 
say to her in the Sewing-school, or when you meet her in the 
street.' Thus I receive encouragement on every side, and am 
never in want of some aid for those who need it so much. My 
dear friend, who was removed from me by death last summer, 
often used to say, i Never fear, Mrs. Knowles, when the Lord 
takes away one support, he raises another.' And so I have 
found it. My Superintendent is always ready to assist, and 
our Sewing-school, aided by her and other ladies, is very pros- 
perous. Perhaps want may drive many to us, but we trust they 
will be also benefited by the instruction there received, and 
carry the lessons home. 

" One poor woman gave me a dollar for a Bible I left with 
her some months since. ' For,' she says, 'the Lord has blessed 
her since she has begun to read it.' Another poor woman paid 
25 cents for one, for ' she wanted it in the house for the good 
of the children.' And two others were also sold. 

" A number of children have been brought to Sabbath-school, 



Struggles and Triumphs. 



153 



and several induced to attend church. In beginning a New 
Year, I trust increased devotion to the work will bring on added 
blessing." 

How tenderly and lovingly she notes the kind lady who gave 
her the ten dollars for the sick family whose prop and stay was 
out of employment. 

Those who are familiar with the sad sights of want and woe 
in all our large cities, will be able to appreciate the naturalness 
of the foregoing description of missionary work among the 
poor and lowly. 

Shakespeare's account of a complete lady lacks one essential 
qualification, benevolence. He says : 

'* If lusty love should go in quest of beauty, 

Where should he find it fairer than in Blanch ? ■ 
If zealous love should go in search of virtue, 

Where should he find it purer than in Blanch ? 
If love ambitious sought a match of birth, 

Whose veins bound richer blood than Lady Blanch ? " 

What a magnificent portrait is here drawn of truly rounded, 
symmetrically developed Christian womanhood, and true lady- 
ship is here pencilled in the diary of the departed. There are 
some women who win men toward them by their wonderful 
conversational powers. They can talk by the hour ; but when 
you approach them on the question of finance, for the cause of 
Home or Foreign Missions, they are like the colored man who 
was a great talker and a lusty singer, but a very poor giver, and 
when the collection box was being passed around, he closed his 
eyes and kept on singing, " Roll, Gospel, roll ; " when the dea- 
con put the box under his nose, and said, " I say, Brother Sam, 
what are you gwine to give to make the Gospel roll around 
the world?" The distinction is very positively affirmed by 
Christ between those who will be at the last on his right hand, 



i54 



Gathering Jewels. 



and those on his left, by the " inasmuch as ye did it not unto one 
of the least of these my brethren, ye did it not unto me." I re- 
member once during the same year in which the circumstances 
we are now commenting on transpired, of calling upon a friend, a 
broker in Wall Street of this city, and after some general con- 
versation about Christian work, he called me into his rear office 
and said: 

~ " How are you getting along financially?" 
" Well," I said, " I am able to keep my head above water." 
"Ah ! " he replied, " I have been watching you in your work, 
and want to make you a present of fifty dollars for your imme- 
diate wants." 

I looked upon him with astonishment and exclaimed: 

u How is it, my friend, you can be so kind to me, as I am 

a comparative stranger to you ? " 

"Well," he said, "I believe you are doing the Lord's work, 

and I feel that all the money belongs unto Him, and I am only 

his steward." 

What is the ultimate design of Christ knocking at the door 
of the heart ? Is it not that we may be like Him ? He gave 
himself for us. Can we then withhold our alms to the poor ? 
He may take His departure, and we may receive in our hearts 
the spirit of avariciousness and selfishness. I am sure if any 
of the ladies connected with the New York Bible Society will 
read the simple story of God's dealings with this missionary 
woman, their hearts will swell with great gratitude and glad- 
ness, to think that God enabled them to contribute of their 
substance to the poor and needy, through this humble worker 
in the master's vineyard. Let us ever remember that we are 
under peculiar obligations to God for all we have and all we so 
richly enjoy. Our true condition is one of absolute subserviency 
and absolute dependence. We are not our own, we are bought 
with a price, even the peace-speaking blood of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 



Struggles and Triumphs. 



Our hand must clothe the humble poor, 

Our store the hungry feed. 
Our homes the stranger must receive 

And shelter in his need; 
Each others burdens we must bear, 

Each others faults forgive, 
And thus in perfect peace with all, 

And perfect union, live. 

What an astonishing amount of pathos is manifested in the 
joyous outbursts of gratitude and thankfulness in the heart 
of this boy when their wants were supplied, indicated by his 
child-like words: "Mamma, mustn't you get down and pray, 
and thank God for all these things?" Absorbed in serious 
reflection, he instantly and spontaneously recognized God as 
" the giver of every good and perfect gift, the father of lights 
with whom there is no variableness, nor the least shadow of 
turning." Surely out of the mouths of babes and sucklings He 
hath perfected praise. It is remarkable how quickly children 
recognize heavenly things. Train up a child in the way it should 
go, and when it is old it will not depart from it. The early 
desire to pray deeply, implanted in the tender breast by the 
mother, can never be obliterated. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



LEADING SOULS TO CHRIST. 

Hark ! through Nature's vast cathedral, 

Blended echoes ever rise, 
Swelling in a mighty anthem 

To its overarching skies. 

Every great and noble action 

Is re-echoed o'er and o'er ; 
Life itself is but an echo 

Of the lives that were before. 

Our daily life ought to be an echo of the life of Christ. Just 
as God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not im- 
puting unto man his trespasses, so the great aim of the Chris- 
tian ought to be to lead souls to Jesus. The Rev. Dr. W. M. 
Taylor, of the Broadway Tabernacle, tells the story of how, when 
Hector was going to his last battle, and his wife Andromache ac- 
companied him as far as the gates of the city, they were followed 
by a nurse carrying in her arms their infant child. When he 
was about to depart, Hector held out his hands to receive the 
little one, but, terrified by the burnished helmet, and the waving 
plume, the child turned away and clung, crying, to his nurse's 
neck. In a moment, divining the cause of the infant's alarm, 
the warrior took off his helmet and laid it on the ground, and 
then, smiling through his tears, the little fellow leaped into 
his father's arms. Now, similarly, Jehovah of hosts, Jehovah 
with his helmet on, would frighten us weak guilty ones away ; 
but in the person of the Lord Jesus He has laid that helmet off, 
and now the guiltiest and the neediest are encouraged to go to 
His fatherly embrace and avail themselves of His support. 



Leading Souls to Christ. 



Under date of February, 1875, Mrs. Knowles writes that she 
has been successful, during the past two months, in bringing 
many persons to attend church, and a number of children to the 
Sabbath-schools ; and she adds : 

" I am much encouraged by the attention paid to the reading 
of the Scriptures. I have also made many hearts glad by sup- 
plying their families with food and clothing, and at some places 
where I have not given anything, and have referred to it, I have 
been answered with : 

" ' You have done a great deal for us by teaching us to trust 
in the Lord.' " 

Thought ought to operate between two limits — the one of 
time, the other of eternity. 

The Sabbath-school and the Church are inseparably linked 
with earth and heaven. " Train up a child in the way it should 
go, and when it is old it will not depart from it." The first 
book put into my hand when a boy, in the public school of my 
native land, was the Bible. And the hrst book I had to study in 
the Sabbath-school was the Shorter Catechism. These two 
books have exerted a benign and salutary influence on my whole 
life. Xow, what the study of mathematics is to the intellect by 
disciplining and imparting the power to reason consecutively, thus 
tranquillizing the judgment by furnishing demonstrative knowl- 
edge, even so the sermons- heard in the House of God. and the 
lessons taught in the Sabbath-school, and all the outward spirit- 
ual truth conveyed to the heart of the hearer, quickens the soul 
into newness of life ; hence the injunction of the Apostle : 

"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; 
(for He is faithful that promised ;) 

"And let us consider one another, to provoke unto love, and 
to good works : 

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the 
manner of some is ; but exhorting one another ; and so much 
the more, as ye see the day approaching. 



Gathering Jewels. 



" For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowl- 
edge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 

" But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery in- 
dignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 

" He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two 
or three witnesses." 

Her chief delight was to lead men, women, and children to 
the house of God. It does not seem strange, therefore, when 
we find the foregoing emphatic declaration in her diary : " I am 
much encouraged by the attention paid to the readi?tg of the Scrip- 
tures.' 1 This is the glorious result of getting people first to at- 
tend to the means of grace in the sanctuary on the Lord's day. 
How greatly cheered she must have been in her work to hear 
the welcome words : " You have done a great deal for us, by teach- 
ing us to trust in God." 

What is God's estimate of those who trust in Him ? Here the 
mind is forever set at rest. He proffers innumerable blessings 
to those who confide in Him, and we will, right now and here, 
give our attention to a few of the many precious promises by 
which God richly entertains his children: 

" Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed 
on thee ; because he trusteth in thee ; trust ye in the Lord 
forever ; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." — Isa. 
xxvi. 3-4. 

" He that putteth his trust in me, shall possess the land, and 
inherit my holy mountain." — Isa. lvii. 13. 

" Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose 
hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters 
and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see 
when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green ; and shall not 
be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yield- 
ing fruit." — Jer. xvii. 7-8. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



THE DYING MOTHER AND THE INTEMPERATE HUSBAND. 

I know there are realms where the voices of song 

Never cease 'neath a burden of tears. 
And I seek, 'mid earth-discord, the sound of a strain, 

Falling sweet from those radiant spheres. 

We scarcely ever knew of a more touching account of a dying 
mother, than the following graphic narrative : 

"One poor woman whom I mentioned before has just died. 
Surrounded as she was by Romanists, she stood firm in the 
belief in which she had been instructed by her father in her 
youth. Some time since I took her little girl to Sabbath-school, 
and a short time ago her teacher found her earnestly seeking 
Christ. She has since given good evidence of being a Christian, 
and has united with the church. I was the only friend visiting 
the mother during her last illness, whom she desired to come to 
read and pray with her. She mourned over much of her past 
life, but had much to contend with from those around her. A 
few days before she died she said, ' she would be better soon." 
I asked her what she meant. She answered, 1 When I go to be 
with Jesus ;' but she added, 'Who will see to my little girl?' I 
told her I would. Once again I saw her ; she was composed and 
at peace, saying, k She would soon be at home.' " 

See how she pictures the intense solicitude of the mother 
after her child, in the loving and sweet inquiry (so faithfully 
remembered and carefully recorded), "Who will see to my little 
girl?" See her quiet and Christ-like spontaneous response, 
that she would. Here we are forcibly reminded of a scene 



i6o 



Gathering Jewels. 



in New Testament times. In the ninth chapter of the Acts of 
the Apostles we read : 

" Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, 
which, by interpretation is called Dorcas : this woman was full 
of good works and alms-deeds which she did. 

" And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and 
died : whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper 
chamber. 

" And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disci- 
ples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two 
men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. 

" Then Peter arose, and went with them. When he was come, 
they brought him into the upper chamber : and all the widows 
stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments 
which Dorcas made while she was with them." 

The last part of her diary is extremely touching. But this 
sorrowful sight presented to our view is only one of the many 
that frequently occur in a city like New York. They harrow 
the refined feelings of the faithful missionary. If such scenes 
are sq distressing, what must have been the experience of Him 
who was made sin for us, and who daily mingled with sinners. 
He who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness 
of God in Him. Let her tell her own story. 

" A few days since I visited a woman whose husband had 
beaten her till she was almost helpless. She told me about his 
coming to her with a knife, and expected he would have taken 
her life. She asked me to engage in prayer with her. He sat 
by, apparently unmoved. When I was leaving, he asked me to 
forgive him. I told him it was not me he must ask; he must go 
to God for forgiveness. It was distressing to see the poor wife, 
as she asked me what she must do, as she had no friend on 
earth but me. I then spoke to the husband; he said he was 
very sorry he had acted so badly, and would drink no more. I 
intend getting hind to sign the pledge, which he says he will do. 



The Dying Mother and the Intemperate Husband. 161 



"The evils of intemperance meet us in so many ways, we 
often feel discouraged, and yet at times a case occurs which 
bids us work on and hope on. The man mentioned above from 
that time continued to refrain from drink, and has treated his 
wife well ever since. She wept with gratitude as she told me, 
a few evenings since, that he came in and handed her all his 
money as he had received it for work, never having opened it. 
She could never forget the day when I came in and found 
almost everything in the room broken to pieces, and his promise 
which he faithfully made to me that he would try and do right." 

Eternity alone will reveal to our astonished gaze the number 
of forlorn and sad hearts that were made to rejoice in the par- 
doning mercy of God through her weak instrumentality. 

How comforting is the thought that His word shall not return 
unto Him void, but it will accomplish that which He please, 
and prosper in the thing wherein he hath sent it. "It either 
proves the saviour of life unto life, or of death unto death." If 
we harden our hearts in the day of affliction we grieve the Holy 
Spirit away from us. But sickness and penury properly received 
soften the heart and lead to repentance and transformation of 
life. Here is a practical illustration of this truth : 

" Another family I found, with two children lying ill with diph- 
theria. They were living in a basement room, and were very 
poor. The father had been out of work for some time, and the 
mother's sewing had supported the family, but now her time was 
taken up with attending to the sick children. I provided some 
nourishment, and the next time I called, the mother was lying 
ill with typhoid fever. A poor woman was taking care of them, 
risking her own life and that of her own children, and another 
poor neighbor had taken home the third child to preserve it from 
infection. They had but little covering, and I procured what 
was needed from the Home of the Friendless, and a dear friend 
gave me a bundle of clothing for them. They have since re- 
covered, and having a friend who owned a tenement-house, I 



162 



Gathering Jewels. 



spoke to her about them, and they are now removed there, and 
are quite comfortable. Our kind ladies who assist us at the 
sewing-school having sent us some turkeys for distribution at 
Christmas I was able to furnish them with one ; and better 
still, the husband has obtained employment. They say they 
never will forget the time when they had nothing, and now they 
have everything so comfortable. They seem to feel it came from 
God." 

Yes, He is the giver of every good and perfect gift, the Father 
of lights with whom there is no variableness nor the least shadow 
of turning. Without this perception and unless we return to 
God our grateful acknowledgments, we cannot truly enjoy His 
blessings from above. If God makes us the happy recipients of 
His favors it is our bounden duty to return to him our heart- 
felt gratitude. This was the feeling of the Psalmist when he 
said : 

" Bless the Lord, O my soul ; and all that is within me, bless his 
holy name. 

" Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits : 
"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities ; who healeth all thy dis- 
eases ; 

" Who redeemeth thy life from destruction ; who crowneth 
thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies ; 

" Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things ; so that thy 
youth is renewed like the eagle's." 



CHAPTER XIX. 



HELP AND LOVING KINDNESS. 

Oh, give Thine own sweet rest to me 
That I may speak with soothing- power 

A word in season, as from Thee, 
To weary ones in needful hour. 

That Mrs. Matilda Knowles, our beau ideal missionary, pos- 
sessed a thankful heart, we glean from her diary. She gives 
a deeply interesting account of the recognition, on her part, of 
the gentle and generous loving-kindnesses of those ladies who 
heartily co-operated with her in lifting the burden of sin, sor- 
row, and sadness from poor suffering humanity. She writes at 
the close of 1875, thus : 

"Our sewing-school kept its usual festival, thanks to our 
kind ladies, Mrs. Harper, * with Mrs. Fiske, and their friends, 
who supplied us liberally, and. made many very happy. I have 
also, through the generosity of friends, been able to aid and even 
supply the wants of many who are in need, and I trust, in begin- 
ning a New Year, I may be able to work even more earnestly 
than ever before." 

This wealthy and inestimable lady (Mrs. F. Harper) has also 
recently entered into her rest and reward. We are glad to 
know, however, that her daughter has taken up all her mother's 
work, as the following communication will testify: 



* Wife of Mr Fletcher Harper, of Harper Brothers, publishers, Franklin 
Square, New York 



164 



Gathering Jewels. 



" Laurel House, Lakewood, N. J., 
February 21, 1887. 

■' Rev. Duncan M. Young, 

" Dear Sir : I regret that I shall not be in New York for per- 
haps a couple of months, and therefore cannot see you in re- 
gard to the subject of Mrs. Knowles' work. She assisted my 
dear mother for many years in the Industrial School, and was 
greatly honored and beloved by all connected with her in that 
work. 

" I do not think I can give you any information that you do 
not already know, in regard to Mrs. Knowles ; but if I knew a 
little more as to what were your plans and desires in regard to 
getting out a book from her notes, I might consider what I 
could do. In any case, it can be only in a very slight degree 
that I am able to aid, as I have taken up Mrs. F. Harper's work 
in all directions, as well as my own. Any further communica- 
tion addressed here will reach me. 

" Very sincerely yours, 

"Mrs. D. H. Sibley." 

In our correspondence for the Master we are reminded 
of two things, first, the letter sent by the beloved disciple, John, 
in his second epistle : 

" The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love 
in the truth ; and not I only, but also all they that have known 
the truth ; 

" For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with 
us forever : 

" Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, 
and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth 
and love. 

" I rejoiced greatly, that I found of thy children walking in 
truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father. 
" And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new 



Help and Loving Kindness. 



165 



commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the begin- 
ning, that we love one another. 

" And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This 
is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the begin- 
ning, ye should walk in it." 

And second, her place of residence for her health is the scene 
of our former labors for the Lord. In the vicinity of Lakewood 
we held revival services, and preached every night to a crowded 
house for over two months. Among those who were led to 
Christ was a physician and his wife, three public school-teach- 
ers, and two brothers — young men — one of them is now a min- 
ister of the gospel, the other the editor of a Temperance paper 
in the city of Philadelphia. But we are rapidly travelling 
to eternity, and these will, we know, be among the fruits of 
our labor. Still, we have to watch for souls and the bringing 
in of a brighter and better day, when one need not say to the 
other, " Know ye the Lord ?" for all shall know Him from the 
least even to the greatest. " When the knowledge of the Lord 
shall cover the earth as the waters cover the channels of the 
great deep." 

How beautiful and descriptive are the words of Mackay in 
his "Watcher on the Tower," that points to the time when, 
through the labors of His servants, truth shall be triumphant, 
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away : 

It breaks, it comes, the misty shadows fly, 
A rosy radiance gleams upon the sky ; 
The mountain-tops reflect it calm and clear ; 
The plain is yet in shade, but day is near. 



CHAPTER XX. 



REACHING THE HEART. 

Jesus, let me thus be waiting, 

Full of hope, and love, and zeal 
Let Thy coming, to my spirit, 

Be a hope divine and real. 

Dr. Hanna once said: " The heart is an interpreter. It is 
not in the intellect, it is in the conscience, in the heart, that the 
finest, most powerful organs of spiritual vision lie. There are 
seals that cover up many passages and pages of the Bible which 
no light or fire of genius can dissolve; there are hidden riches 
here that no labor of mere learned research can get at and 
spread forth. But those seals melt like the snow-wreath beneath 
the warm breathings of desire and prayer, and those riches drop 
spontaneously into the bosom of the humble and the contrite, 
the poor and the needy." 

The great President Edwards, in his admirable work on the 
affections, declares that that religion which God requires, and 
will accept, does not consist in weak and lifeless inclinations 
raised but a little above a state of indifference. God, in His 
word, insists upon it, that we should be in earnest, fervent in 
spirit, and having our hearts vigorously engaged in religion. 
" And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, 
but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to 
love him; and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and 
with all thy soul." " And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine 
heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with 
all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live." 
Deut. xxx. 6. 



Reaching the Heart. 



i67 



The primary object of the successful worker then is to reach 
the hearts of the parents through the children, constantly re- 
membering the divinely inspired words, "that a little child shall 
lead them." Let the following extracts from her pen speak for 
themselves: 

" During the last month I have made two hundred and five 
visits, and brought eight children to the Sunday-school. I often 
find if we can gain the affection of the children it opens a way 
to the parent's hearts. For example: On entering a room one 
day, I asked if they had a Bible. The father, a rough-looking 
man, said, 4 We have no money to buy Bibles — we need all our 
money to get something to eat.' 'Oh,' said I, 'if you have not 
the means to buy one I will give you one for nothing.' 1 If I 
get it for nothing, I will thank you for it.' I took him one the 
next day ; he thanked me very politely, and said, ' I will read 
it.' I handed the little girl a tract, in which was a picture of a 
child kneeling in • prayer. The father seemed pleased, and 
before leaving, I said to the child, 1 Now, my dear, if you 
learn to do as that little girl does, God will love you.' She 
looked up and said, 1 Yes, ma'am.' When I called a few days 
after, the father said, 'My little girl did not forget her promise 
to you. Every night and morning she kneels down and prays, 
and thinks we should all do the same. I have been reading in 
the Bible. It tells us a great many good things, and when I get 
some clothes I shall try and come to church.' " 

We must form our opinion of aggressive work for Christ by 
the fruits that are produced. The pictorial tract put into 
the hands of the little girl, and her subsequent conduct, 
elicited the attention of that rough-looking father, and oh, 
what a blessed testimony to the power of divine- grace in the 
parental statement, " Every night and morning she kneels down 
and prays, and thinks we should all do the same." It is evident 
that children feel the full force of the words of the apostle: 



i68 



Gathering jewels. 



" Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the 
holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which 
he hath consecrated for us through the vail, that is to say, his 
flesh ; and having a high priest over the house of God ; let us 
draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our 
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed 
with pure water." 

" In another place," she writes, " where I visit, the father keeps 
a dining saloon, and sells liquor. His daughter is in our Sun- 
day-school, and he always appears glad when I call. 'You are 
the only one,' he says, ' who comes to do me good ; I hope you 
will be blessed in your work ; go up-stairs and see my daughter. 
She is a lady,' he added, 'although brought up in this way.' I 
generally read and pray with her, and as I left her the last time, 
she said, 'I hope I shall not always have to live in this way.' 
Her father was at the door as I came down-stairs ; he met me, 
saying, ' May the Lord bless you. Come as often as you can ; 
I would like to live a different life ! ' The daughter is pleasing, 
and mourns still for her mother, who died three years since." 

" Christ said I came not to send peace on earth but a sword." 
Now the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any 
two-edged sword. The key of knowledge of the depravity of 
the heart is furnished the liquor dealer in the above interview, 
by the concession, " I would like to live a different life." The 
saloon keepers generally attribute their remaining in the busi- 
ness to the necessity of it in order to obtain a livelihood. But 
there are other occupations in which they could be diligently 
employed in order to maintain their families. Imagine a frail, 
aged, weak woman, cheerfully bringing gospel light into these 
dark - dens of iniquity. It has been wisely said that the organ, 
of pluck and perseverance has been prominently developed in 
the weaker sex from time immemorial, a« in the case of Joan 



Reaching the Heart. 



169 



of Arc, Jennie Mac Rae, and the noble band of Christian 
workers connected with the Women's Christian Temperance 
Union of this country. The power of womanly kindness is in- 
describable. Hence we must ever remember that God has 
chosen the poor and weak things of this world to confound the 
mighty. 

But to return to the diary. Here we rind her intensely inter- 
ested in a poor blind girl, for she writes, in November of this 
year, the following : 

" About three years since, a young girl, a Roman Catholic, 
who was then a pupil at the Institution for the Blind, was brought 
to my notice. She became deeply interested in the Bible, and 
afterward embraced the Protestant faith, and since that time has 
continued firm in her belief and practice. She remained at the 
Institution until the end of the term, which expired in June. 
It was now necessary for her to seek another home. She was 
taken to the house of a relative, who insisted on her going to 
confession. This she refused, and was on this account rendered 
homeless. It was a source of great anxiety to know how to 
provide for her. The girl was sincere, evidently willing, 1 not 
only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for His sake.' Her 
case was stated to some ladies who feit an interest in her, and 
although they could not give her a home, they kindly assisted 
in paying her board ; other friends to whom the case was made 
known did the same, and she is now learning a trade by which 
we hope she will soon earn enough for her own support. Her 
employer speaks well of her, and considers her very industrious. 

"Another case is that of a family who took no interest in the 
subject of religion. They had a little daughter eight years of 
age, who loved to sing of Jesus, and would always sit still to 
listen to the reading of Scripture. One day she urged her 
mother to give her the baby, who was eighteen months old, as 
her own. The mother laughed, and said : ' You cannot take 



170 



Gathering Jeiuels. 



care of yourself ; what will you do with him ? ' But she con- 
tinued urging her request that the child might be given to her, 
until at last her mother said : ' Jimmy is yours/ - Well/ said 
the child, 'if he is mine, I will take him wherever I go/ Soon 
after both children were taken sick, and both died, and were 
buried at the same time. This made a great impression on 
the minds of their parents ; their hearts have been softened, 
and they now listen with attention to the words of truth, and 
we trust they may be led to follow the dear Saviour, who so 
loved their little ones, that He gathered them into his fold." 

The death of loved ones frequently softens the heart. A few 
days ago, I buried a dear, sweet girl belonging to the Sabbath- 
school, only sixteen years of age. At the funeral service a man 
who had been formerly an infidel was completely broken down. 
Why? because his little boy was taken regularly to the school 
by this girl, and he inquired of his father, " Now that Fannie is 
dead, and has gone to be with Jesus, who will take me to the 
school?" The father responded, and said, "I will." Ever 
since the father takes him there, and now attends the services 
at the church. 



CHAPTER XXI. 



WINTER LIFE AND SCENES. 

Shall He come and find me standing 

From the worldling's joy apart, 
Outside of its mirth and folly, 

With a true and loyal heart ? 

Ox one occasion, in reference to a severe winter, she writes : 
M This has been the hardest winter I have known for years. 
The winters in New York are sometimes very severe. And 
here we are reminded of Thomson's vivid description of it in 
his " Seasons. " He prefixes it with this wonderful prayer : 

11 Father of light and life ! thou God supreme ! 
O, teach me what is good ! teach me Thyself ! 
Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, 
From every low pursuit ! and feed my soul 
With knowledge, conscious peace and virtue pure ; 
Sacred substantial, never-fading bliss ! 

SNOW MANTLES THE EARTH. DISTURBS THE COMFORT OF MANKIND. 

The keener tempests rise ; and fuming down 
From all the livid east, or piercing north, 
Thick clouds ascend ; in whose capacious womb 
A vapory deluge lies, to snow congealed. 
Heavy they roll their fleecy world along, 
And the sky saddens with the gathered storm." 

We all know that a northwest snow-storm in this city is very 
cold and biting. But amid the blinding snow-drift this woman 
could be seen wending her way to homes of want, poverty, and 
wretchedness. 

In order to recognize and appreciate her labors we have only 
to contrast her aims and aspirations with another and far differ- 



172 



Gatheri?tg Jewels. 



ent class that abound in all large cities, so graphically described 
by Pollock : 

Ah ! little think the gay licentious proud, 
When pleasure, power, and affluence surround ; 
Ah ! little think they of the sad variety of pain : 
How many pine in want ; how many bleed, 
How many pine, how many drink the cup 
Of baleful grief, or eat the bitter bread 
Of misery ; sore pierced by wintry winds. 

Amid all such sad scenes this heroine bids us labor on in 
faith, and she adds, " Our labor will not be in vain." No, never ! 
" For, they that go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall 
doubtless return again rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with 
them. ,, 

What is faith ? Faith is simply taking God at His word. 
Paul, in the eleventh chapter of the Hebrews, reveals to us the 
victories God's people obtained through faith. There is often 
something startling to our sluggish spirits by a critical examina- 
tion of the almost incredible account of the power of faith. 
How tremendously efficacious. Oh ! that the Holy Spirit may 
reveal to us its vast importance. 

" By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were com- 
passed about seven days. 

" By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that be- 
lieved not, when she had received the spies with peace. 

" And what shall I more say ? for the time would fail me to 
tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jepthae ; 
of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets : 

"Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteous- 
ness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 

" Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the 
sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in 
fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 

"Women received their dead raised to life again ; and others 



Winter Life and Scenes. 



173 



were tortured, not accepting deliverance ; that they might ob- 
tain a better resurrection : 

"And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, 
moreover of bonds and imprisonment : 

" They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, 
were slain with the sword : they wandered about in sheep-skins 
and goat-skins ; being destitute, afflicted, tormented ; 

" (Of whom the world was not Worthy- :) they wandered in 
deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the 
earth. 

" And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, 
received not the promise ; 

" God having provided some better thing for us, that they 
without us should not be made perfect." 

To lift with tender pitying hand, 

Sin's victims from the dust ; 
Reproach them not, nor chide their wrong, 

Be kind as well as just ; 
A word may touch a sleeping chord 

Of mem'ry pure and sweet, 
And bring them, sorry for their sins, 

To bow at Jesus' feet. 

Go, seek them out — poor, wand'ring sheep, 

That on the mountain cold, 
Are hungry — starving now for bread — 

Go, lead them to the fold ; 
There comes a cheering thought to those 

Who toil in patient love — 
Each soul reclaimed shall be a star 

To deck their crown above. 

If we but prayerfully consider the sad condition of the unre- 
generate, and the innumerable antagonistic diabolical influences 
to which they are constantly exposed, we will be able to accu- 
rately understand the nature and importance of a city mission- 



174 Gathering Jewels. 



ary's work, and the great need there is of giving heed to the in- 
junction of the Master, " Be ye wise as serpents and harmless as 
doves." There are few vices which cannot be conquered by the 
Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one 
that believeth. Here the reader will behold this illustrated, for 
she writes again : 

" In many places I have found it distressing to visit, the des- 
titution being so great ; but through the assistance of kind 
friends, I have been able to assist them in various ways, and 
thus have found a way to their hearts, and they gladly receive 
me in many houses, and listen with great attention to reading 
and prayer. One poor woman whom I found, had been ill for 
some weeks, and while ministering to her temporal wants I have 
not neglected her spiritual needs. She seems truly awakened 
to the sinfulness of her past life, and feels her need of Christ. 
She begged me to visit her daughter and try to influence her. I 
have spent some happy seasons in that attic-room, and when I 
leave she puts her arms around me, kissing me, and asking me 
to come again. 

" A man asked me for a Testament, saying he wanted to read 
it for^himself. I gave him one, and on visiting him again, he 
said, 'I have been reading your book, and like it so very much, I 
will pay you for it ; ' and he handed me a dollar. 

" Notwithstanding this has been the hardest winter I have 
known for years, I have been much encouraged in my work, 
having been enabled to help every deserving family I have met 
with ; and one, where I have been visiting for years without 
being able to induce them to attend church, have now been 
brought in, and have united with the church, both mother and 
daughter rejoicing in the Saviour, and feeling they have never 
known happiness before. Let us, therefore, labor on in faith, 
and our labor will not be in vain." 



CHAPTER XXII. 



CIRCULATING THE SCRIPTURES. 

land of the blessed, thy hills of delight 
Sometimes on my vision unfold ; 

Thy mansions celestial, thy palaces bright, 
Thy bulwarks of jasper and gold. 

Dear voices are chanting thy chorus of praise, 
Dear eyes in thy sunlight are fair ; 

1 look from my valley of shadow below, 
And whisper : Would God I were there. 

Amid the toil and sufferings of earth, how comforting is the 
assurance in our hearts that Jesus is preparing a place for his 
people. O, how cheering, when we can adopt the language in 
the song of Solomon, and say : 

" My beloved is mine, and I am his : he feedeth among the 
lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my 
beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the 
mountains of Bether." 

It will not be long before we will be done with the cares and 
vicissitudes of life, and enter into that " Rest that remains for 
the people of God." I am sure that in the midst of her toil, she 
ever found joy in the hope that one day she would be forever 
with the Lord. She had indeed laid up treasures in heaven, 
and her earnest desire evidently was, not to go to heaven alone, 
but to take some others with her. This was the joy of her life. 
Like the Master who, for the joy that was set before Him, en- 
dures the cross. Hence she enjoyed a uniform experience of 



Gathering Jewels. 



peace, although she witnessed many a sorrowful sight. A late 
writer, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, has well observed : 

" Joy will reach farthest out to sea where troubled mariners 
are seeking the shore. Even in your deepest griefs you can 
rejoice in God. As waves phosphoresce, let joys flash from the 
swing of the sorrow of your souls. Low measures of feeling 
are better than ecstacies for ordinary life. God sends His rains 
in gentle drops, else flowers would be beaten to pieces." 

Ah, it was the peace of God that passeth all understanding 
that enabled her to bear up during the hot summer months in 
which she penned the following, wherein she says : 

"The past three months have been the most trying of any I 
have experienced since I began my work. There has been 
much sickness and many deaths. But I have been kept and 
sustained amid many difficulties. I have been kindly received 
in many Roman Catholic and Jewish families. A poor woman 
whose husband was killed a year since, who had lost one child, 
and has another very sick, is glad to have me read and pray 
with her, and when I point her to the Saviour she says He is, in- 
deed, her best friend. Another Catholic woman said, she did 
not see why her priest forbade her reading the Bible, 'for what 
you have read to me is so beautiful.' When asked if she would 
like to have a Bible, she said she would, and when I took one to 
her she gave me twenty-five cents, and said she wished she 
could give me more. One day I was addressed in the street by 
a little girl, who asked me to go and see her mother. When I 
enquired who she was, I found she was a woman whom I had 
visited some time before. She was very glad to see me, showed 
me the Testament I had given her, and asked me many ques- 
tions which would have led to argument ; but I told her I only 
taught the religion of the Lord Jesus, and I wished them to 
come to Him and seek for light and salvation. She urged me 
to come again, and gladly listened when I read to them from 
the Scriptures, 



Circulating the Scriptures. 



177 



"A young woman on being asked to attend church said, 'The 
only church I go to is the theatre.' I gave her a Testa- 
ment which she promised to read ; she has now begun to go to 
church regularly, and says she hopes never again to live the 
life she has lived. I have been able to take a number of moth- 
ers and their children to the sea side, which has been a great 
blessing. I have given the Bible to two women who have paid 
for it, and wished for one for a neighbor." 

It is a true and striking fact, that there are very few women 
who ever labored so assiduously for the good of others as this 
Missionary, especially in trying to save souls and make others 
happy. 

We may say we believe in Jesus and, therefore, we will be 
saved ; but we must remember also that faith without works is 
dead, and on the great day of judgment all will be made known, 
for St. John says in the Apocalypse : " I saw the dead, small 
and great, stand before God ; and the books were opened : and 
another book was opened, which is the book of life : and the 
dead were judged out of those things which were written in the 
books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead 
which were in it ; and death and hell delivered up the dead 
which were in them : and they were judged every man accord- 
ing to their works." 



CHAPTER XXIII. 
THE NINETY AND NINE. 



When he lived on earth so lowly, 

Friend of sinners was his name ; 
Now enthroned among- the holy, 

He rejoices in the name. 

When Jesus was here upon earth the question was asked, ' Can 
any good thing come out of Nazareth ? But it is said that the 
thirty years of Christ's obscurity was the foundation of his 
three years' manifestations. He was there, however, not alone, 
for he was under the fostering love and anxious solicitude of 
His heavenly Father. Nazareth is beautifully described thus : 

It was " a handful of pearls in a goblet of emerald. No 
great road led up to this sunny nook. Trade, war, adventure, 
pleasure, pomp, passed by it, flowing from west to east, from 
east to west, along the Roman road. But the meadows were 
aglow with wheat and barley. Near the low ground ran a belt 
of gardens, fenced with loose stones, in which myriads of green 
figs, red pomegranates, and golden citrons ripened in the sum- 
mer sun. High up the slopes hung vintages of purple grapes. 
In the plain among the corn, and beneath the mulberry-trees 
and figs, shone daisies, poppies, tulips, lilies, anemones, end- 
less in their profusion, brilliant in their dyes. Low down on 
the hillside sprang a well of water, bubbling, plentiful and sweet ; 
and above this fountain of life, in a long street straggling from 
the fountain to the synagogue, rose the homesteads of many 
shepherds, craftsmen, and vine-dressers. It was a lovely and 



The Ninety a,7id Nine. 



humble place, of which no poet, no ruler, no historian of Isra* 
had ever taken note." 

Even so, it was a very humble sphere that our missionary 
filled, but she was precious in God's sight. Her work was among 
the poor and the lowly. Lost sight of perhaps by men on this 
account, but the more like her divine master in her work and 
ways. O, how true are Christ's own words : " Whosoever he 
be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my 
disciple. Salt therefore is good : but if even the salt have lost 
its savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned ? It is fit neither for 
the land nor for the dunghill : men cast it out. He that hath 
ears to hear, let him hear. 

" Now all the publicans and sinners were drawing near unto 
him for to hear him. And both the Pharisees and the scribes 
murmered, saying, this man receiveth sinners, and eateth with 
them. 

Yes ! sinners — unworthy, hell-deserving sinners — it is to such, 
that He cries if any man thirst, let him come unto me and 
drink. How refreshing are the well-known words : 

Aid the dawning, tongue and pen ; 
Aid it, hopes of honest men ; 
Aid it, paper — aid it, type — 
Aid it, for the hour is ripe, 
And our earnest must not slacken 

Into play. 
Men of thought and men of action, 

Clear the way ! 

The following account of the origin of the well-known hymn, 
the " Ninety and Nine," may have a tendency to stimulate 
others to go and do likewise. It is taken from " Sabbath Read- 
ing," published by the late Mr. Dougal of this city, who has 
recently passed away into his everlasting rest. 

A humble lady in Melrose, Scotland, was led to see the beauty 
of the character of Christ in the parable of the Good Shepherd. 



Gathering Jewels. 



She possessed genius, and sometimes expressed her best thoughts 
and feelings in verse. The vision of Christ leaving the glories 
of Heaven and becoming a seeker of men who had gone astray, 
like an Eastern shepherd seeking a wandering sheep in perilous 
places, touched her heart with poetic fervor, and she wrote the 
hymn beginning : 

1 1 There were ninety and nine that safely lay 
In the shelter of the fold." 

One of the stanzas most vividly and tenderly expressed her 
clear view of Divine sympathy and compassion : 

' ' But none of the ransomed ever knew 

How deep were the waters crossed ; 
Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through 

Ere He found His sheep that was lost. 
Out in the desert He heard its cry — 
Sick and helpless, and ready to die." 

The poem was published in a local paper, and the lady soon 
afterward died, and went to the Good Shepherd, whose love 
for the wandering and perishing had gained the affections and 
service of her life. She was buried in one of the churchyards 
of beautiful Melrose. 

The efforts of a sincere life always meet with the needs of 
others, and are often given, under Providence, a special mission 
in the world. The simplicity and fervor of the little poem 
gained for it an unexpected recognition. 

The American evangelist, Mr. Sankey, was one day returning 
from Edinburgh to Glasgow, to hold a farewell meeting there. 
Glasgow had been the scene of the most signal triumphs in the 
work of Messrs. Moody and Sankey, and this farewell gathering 
promised to be one of thanksgiving and tears, of wonderful 
interest, power, and feeling. 

Mr. Sankey, on this occasion, desired to introduce a new 
hymn which should represent Christ as a compassionate and all- 



The Ninety and Nine. 



sufficient Saviour. " Before getting on the train/' he says, " I 
went to the news-stand and bought two or three papers — some 
secular, some religious — and in one of them I found these 
verses : 

M 1 There were ninety and nine that safely lay 
In the shelter of the fold,' etc. 

"I said to my brother Moody, 4 That's just the hymn I have 
been wanting. I think the Lord has really sent it to us ! ' 

" Next day this little tune or chant it is set to, came to me. 

" We went into tha noon meeting, and dear Dr. Bonar, who 
has written so many beautiful hymns (' I was a Wandering Sheep 
and did not Love the Fold,' and 'I Heard the Voice of Jesus 
say, Come unto Me and Rest') was there, and the thought 
came to me, ' We must sing now this new hymn that the Lord 
has sent us.' 

" The tune had scarcely formed itself in my head yet, but I 
just cut the words from the paper, put it in front of me on the 
organ and began to sing them, hardly knowing where the tune 
was coming from. But the Lord said, ' Sing it,' and as we were 
singing it His Spirit came upon us, and what a blessed meeting 
we had ! " 

The meeting was a very crowded one, and tender feelings 
were awakened in all hearts, bringing vividly to all minds, as it 
did, the fact that the world is full of farewell. The imagery of 
the hymn, the shepherd, the sheep-fold, the dark-night on the 
hills, the anxious search and the joyful return, was in harmony 
with Scottish associations, and touched the best feelings of the 
converts and inquirers. Christ stood revealed in the song, and 
it seemed as though the listeners went up some living Tabor, 
and again saw Him transfigured. 

Away in the gallery there sat a lady who was at first startled, 
and then deeply affected by the hymn. She was unable to speak 
with the sweet singer in the confusion that followed the close of 



I&2 



Gathering Jewels. 



the meeting, but she soon after wrote to him from Melrose, and 
said, " I thank you for having sung, the other day, my deceased 
sister's words. She wrote them five years ago. She is in Heaven 
now." 

The hymn has had a tender mission. Thousands seeking the 
help of a power outside of their own sinful nature, have seen in 
it the vision that the prophet saw : "And I looked, and there 
was none to help ; and I wondered there was none to uphold ; 
therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me." 

What a true and striking picture is painted by the dear Saviour 
in this immortal parable ! They are the words of Him " who 
spake as never man spake 

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he lose one 
of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, 
and go after that which is lost, until he find it ? 

"And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, 
rejoicing. 

"And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends 
and neighbors, saying unto them, 4 Rejoice with me ; for I have 
found my sheep which was lost.' 

" I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over 
one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just 
persons, which need no repentance." 

The intensity of that joy is indescribable. What a glorious 
company are yonder. Here they toiled and suffered, and sacri- 
ficed for Christ, but now they are in the land of light and love. 

How sweet as we journey, to pause for a moment 

And look at the foot-prints we see in our way ; 
The foot-prints of pilgrims who've crossed over Jordan 

And now are rejoicing forever and aye. 

O blessed Redeemer, ere long thou wilt call us 

To join the great army beyond the dark sea ; 
They fought the good fight, their course they have finished, 

And now they inherit the kingdom with thee. 



The Ninety and Nine. 



What must be the joy in heaven when the meeting and greet- 
ing time comes. The holy apostle said, " Set your affection on 
things above." Why ; what does he mean ? It is that we may 
richly enjoy a foretaste of its unutterable bliss preparatory to 
our departure. 

Hark the song of holy rapture, 

Hear it break from yonder strand, 
Where our friends for us are waiting, 

In the golden, summer land. 
They have reached the port of glory, 

O'er the Jordan they have passed, 
And with millions they are shouting, 

Home at last, home at last. 

Oh, the long and sweet re-union, 

Where the bells of time shall cease ; 
Oh, the greeting, endless greeting, 

On the vernal heights of peace ; 
Where the hoping and desponding 

Of the weary heart are past, 
And we enter life eternal — 

Home at last, home at last. 

Look beyond, the skies are clearing ; 

See, the mist dissolves away ; 
Soon our eyes will catch the dawning 

Of a bright celestial day ; 
Soon the shadows will be lifted, 

That around us now are cast, 
And rejoicing we shall gather, 

Home at last, home at last. 

It is no wonder that St. John in the Apocalypse, speaking an- 
ticipatively, says : 

" A voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all 
ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. 

" And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as 



Gathering Jewels. 



the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunder^ 
ings, saying, Alleluia : for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 

" Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him : for the 
marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself 
ready. 

" And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine 
linen, clean and white : for the fine linen is the righteousness of 
saints. 

" And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are 
called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith 
unto me, These are the true sayings of God." 

Who are the true called to the marriage supper of the Lamb ? 
Who are arrayed in white linen, pure and white ? 

They are those who try to be like Him who said, " I am the 
good shepherd who gave His life for the sheep." Here, in this 
wilderness of wandering, it is our imperative duty to go out 
after the suffering and sorrowing and straying, and bring them 
into the fold. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



ANSWERED PRAYER, 

I WANT to go home, to know it all — 

The Saviour's love for the sinner's soul, 

The mercy of God and the glory given 

To saints when they're safely brought to heaven. 

" Here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come.*' 
Ours is a camp life. Moses, in his wonderful prayer, claims 
God as his guide and protector amid all the changing scenes of 
life. " Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all genera- 
tions. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou 
hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to 
everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction ; 
and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years 
in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is passed, and as a watch 
in the night." — Ps. xc. 1-4. 

How essential then to constantly seek the guidance of God 
in all we undertake for His glory. 

He directs and controls all our affairs just as much to-day as 
He did this ancient Israel by the great miraculous cloud by 
day, and pillar of fire by night, stretching far high into the 
heavens. 

Hopeful Cases. 

Concerning such, she writes : " Some encouraging circum- 
stances present themselves amidst the scenes of trial and suffer- 
ing with which my daily walks render me familiar, and I will 
note a few which have excited my warmest sympathy. Among 



i86 



Gathering Jewels. 



others, there is one family of a father, mother, and three small 
children, whose whole subsistence depends upon what the 
mother is able to make by washing. The man has been for 
two months lying ill, with what the doctor calls typhoid fever ; 
but which seems now to have settled on his lungs, attended 
with a severe cough, and no hope of recovery. I have been 
enabled to assist them from time to time with a little nourish- 
ment. When I entered their house one day with what I had 
provided for them, I found they had nothing but a little bread. 
As I showed them what I had brought, they looked from one to 
the other, and were so filled with gratitude, and overcome by 
the unexpected supply, they appeared unable to speak I find 
thus, not only an open door to their home, but also a welcome 
to their hearts. They have not been in the habit of attending 
church, and, as might be supposed, the duty of personal and 
family religion was also neglected. But it appears evident that 
these trials have not been sent in vain by the Lord. The sick 
man loves to have me read the Scriptures, and pray with him : 
and the children delight to see me, often running to meet me, 
and take me by the hand before I reach the house." 

Recognizing the necessity of prayer for the Divine blessing 
in all our work, she writes in her journal thus : 

"March 2, 1875. — In commencing my work this morning 
I asked for guidance in the direction of my visits, and I was 
led to go to a house quite out of my district, to visit a colored 
family who were very destitute. 

"I found them at family prayer, asking the lord to send them 
some food ; my heart was touched as I listened to the simplicity 
of the petition, and I could not but feel the Lord had directed 
my steps to the house in answer to their prayer, and was re- 
minded of that passage of Scripture, 'while they are yet speaking, 
I will answer' I believed these words, and procured them both 
food and fuel. As we then sat down to read God's word, the 
tears streamed down the cheeks of these aged women, as I was 



Answered Prayei'. 



i8 7 



helped to explain the word to them, and when we knelt to pray, 
we were blest together. Truly, while teaching others our own 
souls are often refreshed ! 

" March 6th. — Poor Mrs. L. was visited to-day ; she has been 
suffering for years from rheumatism. As I went in I said, 
1 Mrs. L., is Jesus precious tp-day ? ' The tears came to her eyes 
as she said, 'I fear I have grieved Him to-day; I felt like mur- 
muring because my pain has been so great.' I told her Jesus 
understood her, and knew she did not mean to murmur. And 
then I read to her how He had a feeling for our infirmities, being 
Himself tried and tempted ; and so she was comforted, and be- 
came quite cheerful. On leaving her I felt what a blessed 
privilege it is to be able to comfort the sick poor. A poor brother 
sent to my house to-day for something to nourish him, as he felt 
quite weak. I prepared some broth and gave it to him, which 
he ate with a relish, and that passage from the word came to 
my mind, ' Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of 
these, ye have done it unto me.' 

" March 8th. — Felt much wearied with visits and climbing 
stairs, and was glad to return to a cheerful fireside, and settle for 
the evening ; but before I had removed my rubbers, a knock at 
the door assured me some call had come for me, and so it proved. 
A child of one of my families came to say her mother was ill, 
and wanted to see me. This woman, a few months before, did 
not seem to care for religion, and would not hear me read, 
saying she had no time for it ; she had to earn her living with- 
out listening to what did not concern her. But when she came 
to lie upon a bed of suffering, she thought of me first, and 
found the word of God was just what she wanted ; and as I 
read the words, ' Whosoever cometh unto me I will in no wise 
cast out,' the tears ran down her cheeks, and she at once cast 
herself upon Christ, taking him for her Saviour, and her face 
shone. As I left her my soul rejoiced, though it was far in the 
night when I returned home, that I had been permitted to point 



i88 



Gathering Jewels. 



one soul to the 1 Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the 
world.' 

' Oh ! that all the world my Jesus knew, 
Then all the world would love Him too/ 

" One poor woman asked me if I would get her a Bible, and 
she would pay twenty-five cents a month. I promised, and am 
rejoiced at finding so many that seem eager for Bibles ; quite a 
number have asked for them, and I trust it may prove a lamp 
unto their feet and a light unto their path. 

" March iith. — After the fatigue of the day, I did not feel 
like going out again in the evening, but our pastor, Rev. Geo. O. 
Phelps, came in, and after tea he said, i We have not many min- 
utes to spare, but we will have a few words of prayer before 
parting.' They were few, but they cheered and comforted me so, 
I felt refreshed, and forgetting all fatigue, I arose and went to the 
prayer-meeting, feeling as my people do sometimes when they 
say to me after a visit, ' Oh ! Mrs. Knowles, how your prayer has 
rested me.' 

" March 23D. — A message came to-day, saying Mrs. L. was 
dying, and wanted me to come at once. I went, and was helped 
in return to see the triumph of spiritual over temporal things. 
The Lord was present to bless us at the bedside of the dying 
one. Her trust and faith are firm in Jesus, and her whole desire 
is to be with Him and see Him as He is." 

Blessed hope, "to see Him as He is, and to be transformed 
into His image." John declares : 

"Beloved, now are we tne sons of God, and it doth not yet 
appear what we shall be : but we know that, when He shall 
appear, we shall be like Him ; for we shall see Him as He is. 
And every man that hath this hope in him purineth himself 
even as He is pure." 

It was about this time that she penned in her diary the fol- 



Answered Prayer. 



lowing touching record of her toil. It reveals how sincere, 
diligent, systematic, and unprejudiced she was in her work 
for Jesus, even mentioning the names of the streets. She faith- 
fully copied the example and closely followed the directions of 
her master, given to Ananias at the wonderful conversion of the 
great apostle of the gentiles, when giving directions how to 
find Saul of Tarsus : 

"The Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which 
is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one 
called Saul, of Tarsus : for, behold, he prayeth : 

" And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, 
and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 

" Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of 
this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 

" And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind 
all that call on thy name. 

" But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way : for he is a chosen 
vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, 
and the children of Israel : 

" For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my 
name s sake" — Acts ix. 11-16. 

She writes: " I called on a woman in Broome Street who was 
convicted of her lost condition and ready to yield to despair- 
Her mind had been impressed by a letter from her husband who 
had gone West some time since on business. 

" He had been converted during his absence, being awakened 
by witnessing the wickedness and depravity of his fellow-men, 
the profanation of the Sabbath, licentiousness in high and low 
places, and reflecting that if there were a righteous God, the 
wicked could not go unpunished. It was pleasant to be able to 
tell this distressed woman of the love of Jesus, and to urge her 
to go with her husband in the narrow way. On my next visit 
I found her more cheerful, and feeling that there is hope for 



190 



Gathering Jewels. 



her. She wishes me to get her a Bible, which she will pay 
for by weekly instalments. 

" Met with a woman in Eldridge Street,* who was given to 
drinking. As she was sober at that time, I conversed with her 
about her sin. She burst into tears and said, ' I have long 
wanted some one to talk to me about my soul.' As I read to 
her the story of redeeming love, she seemed to drink it in with 
delight, and promised to attend the place of prayer. She, too, 
wishes to possess a Bible, and to use the money she has before 
spent for rum in payment. I am greatly encouraged to labor 
and pray for her. 

"Visiting some families in Madison Street, I conversed with 
one woman who excited my especial interest. She had been 
very ill with a sore throat. She was a Romanist, but the Spirit of 
God had opened to her view the evil of her heart, and she now 
desired to hear from me of the way of life. I told her of the 
forgiveness of sin through Christ's blood. She said she had 
confessed to the priest, and had received absolution, but found 
no relief from her load, which weighed upon her like a moun- 
tain. I directed her to the Lamb of God, who alone can take 
away sin. But after conversing with her some time (although 
her throat was so much inflamed as almost to deprive her ol 
the power of utterance), she broke forth into one of the most 
affecting prayers I ever heard. Her husband sat by and listened 
to all that was said, being very anxious lest she should abjure 
the Catholic faith and die out of the pale of the Church. He 
interrupted me frequently, saying, ' My good lady, we don't 
want you to teach us ? the priest instructs us in all we need.' 
But I told him I had a message from God, and I could not be 
prevented from delivering it. He left the room in anger, but 
I hope this poor soul may find peace, by trusting in the 'sinner's 
Friend. 5 



* This was the street in which our missionary died. 



Answered Prayer. 191 



" Who can tell but what even this poor man may be found 
at last among the ransomed ones ! " 

This short extract from The Home Mission Monthly for 
May, published by the Woman's Executive Committee of Home 
Missions of the Presbyterian Church, is peculiarly appropriate 
to the above experience of her who now sleeps in Cypress Hills 
Cemetery, 

" Under the shadows gray." 

"At this spring-time season, when the seed is cast into the 
brown bosom of the earth, the lesson taught by the great 
Teacher, eighteen hundred years ago, in Palestine, * as the 
sower went forth to sow,' is borne in upon the mind once more, 
and these lines are the reflex of the impulses which are astir in 
many hearts : 

" I know my hand may never reap its sowing, 
And yet some other may ; 
And I may never even see it growing — 
So short my little day ! 

" Still must I sow, although I go forth weeping, 
I cannot, dare not stay. 
God grant a harvest ! though I may be sleeping, 
Under the shadows gray." 



CHAPTER XXV. 



THE SIN OF IDOLATRY. 

It is not that the city is glorious to behold, 

Her walls of lucid crystal, her very pavement gold, 

All shrined in dazzling splendor, beyond description fair, 

But I am pressing onward to see my Saviour there. 

How dangerous is idolatry. When God says, " Thou shalt 
not make unto thee any graven image," etc., He means that we 
should not only avoid kneeling to them, but we should worship. 
Him alone, and come to Him through the only mediator between 
God and man — the man Christ Jesus. How explicit are the 
words of the beloved John : " Little children, keep yourselves 
from idols." (i John, v. 21.) She seemed to realize the im- 
portance of speaking of Jesus only. 

There is an alarming and increasing propensity in religious 
circles, to look with leniency on the worship of saints, angels, 
martyrs, and the Virgin, but the Master himself said, " I am the 
way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father 
but by Me." Pure worship is spiritual, not aesthetical ; hence 
the use of all pictures, crucifixes, and figureheads of apostles 
and saints dishonors Christ. 

In August, 1875, Mrs. Knowles writes: " Among many dis- 
couragements, I meet with enough to cheer me on my way, and 
induce me to feel that my labor is not all in vain. 

" Among other incidents, I will mention the case of a family I 
have referred to before, as having visited. The mother received 
me very kindly. She had four children, and as I was speaking 



The Sin of Idolatry. 



*93 



to them of Jesus while the little ones gathered around me, the 
father came in, a very rough-looking man, and at the time ap- 
parently under the influence of liquor. The mother and chil- 
dren looked at me, and a feeling of sadness was visible on theii 
faces. I spoke to him of his family, but he said little, and I 
then knelt and prayed with them. I asked if they had a Bible. 
He said 1 No, 1 and they had not much time to read. I then 
asked him if he would like to have one. He said he would, as 
1 it was a good thing to have one in the house.' 
• " I took them one in the course of a day or two, and he has 
been led to read it daily ; the mother and children also read it, 
and a few nights since he signed the temperance pledge. He 
said to me lately, while visiting him : ' Xo more pennies for 
rum ; those pennies will go toward the support of my wife and 
children.' He now attends evening church, feeling his clothing is 
not good enough to go by daylight. He has told me, although 
they are very poor, he was never as happy as now. He has not 
yet been able to procure steady employment, so I help them as 
I can. 

" I have been helped on to perseverance in my work by what 
was told me by one I visited. In speaking of herself, she said 
she owed much to the efforts of a home missionary, who not 
only sought her out, but followed her up ; and although she 
often neglected her duty, and stayed away from the preaching, 
he was so persevering and diligent in his efforts to win her, he 
at length succeeded, and she is now truly a Christian. A severe 
trial has lately come upon her : her son, a boy of ten years, 
has been killed by falling from a house. He lived but a short 
time after the accident ; and as I stood by her at the side of the 
remains of her departed child, she was calm and resigned, tell- 
ing me the Lord was helping her. 

>k I have been visiting at the hospitals much of late, where I 
have procured places for my sick, of whom there have been many 
this season. I have also assisted some, and procured work for 



i 9 4 



Gathering Jewels. 



others ; have also distributed several Bibles, for which some 
have promised to pay as they are able. My Superintendent and 
Pastor are both kind in aiding me ; for while I can truly say, 'of 
myself I can do nothing/ I can also, I hope, add, i I can do all 
things through Christ, who strengtheneth me.' " 

We cannot leave this part of the record of the Lord's work 
without observing her strong attachment to the children. In 
this she was very judicious. What momentous issues are at 
stake during early childhood. It is doubtless true that Christ 
meant to teach a practical lesson with reference to our tender 
watch-care of the little ones during His third brief interview 
with His disciples, after His resurrection. We read : 

" So, when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, 
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these ? He saith 
to him, yea, Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto 
him, Feed my lambs. 

" He saith unto him again the second time, Simon, son of 
Jonas, lovest thou me ? He saith unto him, yea, Lord ; thou 
knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 

" He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest 
thou me ? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the 
third time, Lovest thou me ? And he said unto him, Lord, thou 
knowest all things ; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith 
unto him, Feed my sheep." 

Amid such a scene so truthfully depicted in the above narra- 
tive, we behold the insecurity of the children.. What a sad 
sight. An intemperate father and no Bible in the house. What 
a statement in this land of Bibles ! Oh, what fearful conse- 
quences hang upon the conduct of parents. What would be- 
come of the masses in the lower part of the city, were it not for 
our truly devoted Bible women ? What victories for CrTrist and 
His Church have been achieved — who can tell ? 

The cheering light that dawned upon the deeply bereaved 



The Sin of Idolatry. 



195 



mother when her boy was killed, is beheld as we, in imagination, 
take our stand by the bedside with them, and hear that sorrow- 
stricken mother exclaiming, " that the Lord was helping her." 
This is a striking proof that He who comforted Martha and 
Mary, at Bethany, was in that tenement-house, saying once 
again, " I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in 
me, though he were dead yet shall he live." Yes, helping her 
to look beyond this vale of tears, and say even amid the loss of 
her darling boy, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." 
Surely the language of Job must have been experienced on an 
occasion like the above. " When the ear heard me, then it 
blessed me ; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me: 
Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and 
him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that was 
ready to perish came upon me : and I caused the widow's heart 
to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me : my 
judgment was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, 
and feet was I to the lame." — Job xxix. 11-15. 

There is a very comforting reflection for bereaved parents in 
Dr. Payson's " Comparison of Departed Children to Jewels." 
To a mother mourning the death of a child, he said : 

" Suppose, now, some one was making a beautiful crown for 
you to wear, and you knew it was for you, and that you were to 
receive it and wear it as soon as it should be done. Now, if the 
maker of it were to come, and in order to make the crown more 
beautiful and splendid, were to take some of your jewels to put 
into it, should you be sorrowful and unhappy because they were 
taken away for a little while, when you knew they were gone to 
make up your crown ?" 

In endeavoring humbly to interpret the language of the 
deceased, and, at the same time, call attention to her superior 
magnanimity of heart, I would not for a moment dare to make 
it appear that I was compromising human merit with the free, 
rich grace of our Heavenly Father, so richly displayed in His 



196 



Gather 'ng * Jew els. 



imparted power to His children, enabling them to do valiantly 
in the salvation of souls. This power is the presence of the 
Holy Spirit in the heart. Just listen to the closing sentence 
of the last paragraph : " I can truly say of myself I can do 
nothing /" though I can also, I hope, add, 11 1 can do all things 
through Christ who strengtheneth me." Ah ! here is the secret 
of distinguished merit in the great conflict against all the forms 
of evil in the world. The instruction to the disciples were 
to tarry until they received this Divine strength. Tarry, how? 
Well, let us read the record : 

" To whom also He shewed himself alive after his passion by 
many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speak- 
ing of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being 
assembled together with them, commanded them that they should 
not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, 
which, sayeth he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized 
with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many 
days hence. When they therefore were come together, they 
asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again 
the kingdom to Israel ? And he said unto them, It is not for you 
to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in 
his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy- 
Ghost is come upon you : and ye shall be witnesses unto me 
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto 
the uttermost part of the earth,' And when he had spoken 
these things, while they beheld, he was taken up ; and a cloud 
received him out of their sight."— Acts i. 3-9. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



- PEACE THROUGH BELIEVING. 

Oh, the unsearchable riches of Christ ! 

Wealth that can never be told ; — 
Riches exhaustless of mercy and grace, 

Precious, more precious than gold ! 

At the sixty-eighth annual meeting of the New York Female 
Auxiliary Bible Society, the Rev. Dr. William M. Taylor, in his 
earnest masterly address on the occasion, happily said : 

" In the prosecution of the excavations at Pompeii, the 
w rkmen laid bare an ancient spring, the water of which, as 
socn as it was set free, flowed forth as copiously as ever, and 
carried refreshment with it wherever it went. For centuries it 
had been buried beneath the ashes of the volcano, but the 
moment it was again uncovered, it sent out its stream of bless- 
ing with all its pristine fulness and wholesome influence. 

"Something like that was the work which Martin Luther did 
for the fountain of truth in the Sacred Scriptures. For many 
generations that had been virtually stopped up by the rubbish of 
tradition and entombed beneath the weight of authority, but by 
his sturdy strength, his steady persistence and his dauntless 
courage, he dug it clear again ; and it became once more, as at 
the first, the well-head of the river of progress among the na- 
tions," 

What was said of the great German Reformer can be truth- 
fully applied to this humble mother in Israel. 

At the above meeting it was stated that this Missionary 
woman in her advanced age made four hundred and forty visits 



Gathering Jewels. 



in two months, she had read the Scriptures in many homes, 
prayed with a large number, comforted dying believers with 
Christian song, administered first aid to the injured ; thus bring- 
ing into practical use the instructions she had received, and 
receiving the commendations of physicians, distributed religious 
reading, and suspended the " Words of Life " in the rooms of the 
sick. Streams from this uncovered fountain of truth are turned 
by the cheerful, willing, working hands, heads, and hearts of our 
Bible women into human habitations in this city, where degra- 
dation, poverty, drunkenness, vice, and squalor sink the inmates 
to the level of brutes. The cleansing waters, as if by magic, 
convert these dark places into homes of joy and brightness, 
sobriety, industry, cleanliness, and godliness. 

The effulgence born of the lustre of Christ drives out the 
darkness of sin and sorrow, and the thoughts of regenerated 
souls are indeed carried upward to the throne of God. All 
sorts and conditions of men, all varieties of human life, find 
their adaptation in the religion of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Later on she writes : "During the month of January, 1876, 
I have been greatly encouraged in various ways. Knowing 
how many were the wants, and how small the means for sup- 
plying them during the present winter, I called on my old 
friend, Mr. M., at his place of business, and telling him how 
low our funds were, as he always took an interest in our work, he 
gave me twenty dollars for the Society. Much encouragement 
has also been afforded me by seeing some, among whom I have 
been laboring for years, brought to Christ, and those of whom I 
had the least hope, now testifying their love for the Saviour. It 
is not more than three or four weeks since they began to attend 
church, and since then it is surprising to witness the change. 
They have risen in the prayer-meeting and told what the Lord 
had done for their souls. 

rt One of those women, when I visited her, told me when I 
asked her to attend church, that the devil was her best friend , 



Peace thi'ough Believing. 



he helped her out of all her difficulties, by lying and cheating, 
and she intended to give herself entirely to him. Such an ex- 
pression falling from the lips of any one, but especially from one 
for whom I have been watching and praying for years, rendered 
me almost speechless ; but I kissed her, and saying there would 
be no use in my calling on her again, as she had settled in indif- 
ference, I left her. In a few days she sent for me, and I had 
another interview with her, w^hich resulted in a promise, on her 
part, to attend church. She did not do so for some weeks. A 
noon-day prayer-meeting was then established in our church, 
and I invited her there. In a few days she came, and since 
then has been attending both noon and evening meetings, and 
coming to church. She has risen to ask prayers for herself, her 
husband, and children, and a dear old mother, nearly eighty 
years of age, still out of the ark of safety. 

" Last Sabbath morning, upon entering the church, and seeing 
a stranger in my pew, I could not express the feeling of joy that 
filled my soul, upon discovering this was the same woman, now 
come to the house of God, having exchanged masters, and for- 
saken the territory of Satan, anxious to become the servant of 
Christ, and receive the gift of God which is eternal life, instead 
of the wages of sin, which is death ; and which, a short time 
since, she avowed herself determined to secure. 

" Another woman with whom I had talked about the sin of her 
encouraging a love for dress and pleasure in her young daugh- 
ter, acknowledged the truth of what I said, and has since at- 
tended church, and undoubtedly been brought to Christ. Her 
husband, also, who had not set his foot in a church for fifteen 
years, but spent all his leisure time in a liquor store, and associ- 
ated with a rough class of men, according to his own statements 
concerning himself, believes he has found the Saviour, and at- 
tends the meetings regularly. A few evenings since he told me 
he had to watch himself very closely, as he had become habitu- 
ated to profane swearing. The change that has been made in 



200 



Gathering Jewels, 



him is remarkable. It appears clear to my mind that nothing 
but a Divine power could have effected it. 

" Another case is that of a young girl who was brought to the 
meeting by her mother. She is so impressed herseif, that her 
great concern is for others with whom she has beem associated, 
to induce them to attend, the language of her heart being, 
'Come with us, and we will do thee good, for the Lord has 
spoken good concerning Israel.' 

" There is a great outpouring of the Spirit in our midst ; we 
have unmistakable evidence of it. We have but to 'open our 
mouths wide that we may be filled with it.' All are ready to hear 
and learn, and we are in every way encouraged to labor on with 
our whole hearts, knowing that if we are strong, and of good 
courage, God will not fail in the performance of His promises. 

" Our sewing-school is also improving ; the children in good 
behavior ; the mothers are asking, in many cases, for Bibles, 
while the Sunday-school is filling up so fast, we cannot get a 
sufficient number of teachers. 

" There are many cases of sickness in my district, and a great 
deal of distress, occasioned by want of work. 

" I made about one hundred and sixty visits during the month, 
and sold but one Bible." 

Her gratitude, when any kind-hearted friend like the above 
gave of their substance, to carry on the Lord's work, was un- 
bounded. Also, when those among whom she labored for years 
were brought to confess Christ, by testifying at the meetings. 
Oh ! how true are the words of Malachi : " Then they that feared 
the Lord spake often one to another ; and the Lord hearkened, 
and heard it : and a book of remembrance was written before 
Him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his 
name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that 
day when I make up my jewels." 

No spot on earth was so dear to her heart as the house of 



Peace through Believing. 



201 



God, hence the expression : " / could not express the feeling of 
joy that filled my soul upon discovering this was the same woman, 
now come to the house of God, having exchanged masters." 
She evidently entered into the feelings of David when he said of 
the Church, as the recognized holy spouse of God : " How ami- 
able are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts ! My soul longeth, 
yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord, my heart and my 
flesh crieth out for the living God." 

Her practical piety is continual!}' manifested, not only by her 
strenuous exertions to save souls, but in the recognition of Divine 
power in the execution. She says, " The change is remarkable. 
It appears clear to my mind that nothing but Divine power 
could have effected it." 

The doctrine of the personality of the Holy Spirit is here 
brought to our view, strongly reminding us that it is not by 
might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



DRAWN BY THE CORDS OF LOVE. 

Blest Saviour, slain for me, 
In grateful love to Thee 

The cross I bear ; 
Thou didst for me endure, 
My pardon to insure, 
And thus for me secure 

A Crown to wear. 

"One poor woman," she writes, " asked me to call and see 
her, as she wished to tell me her troubles. She said she was 
afraid to believe that God loved her. I have seldom seen 
any one in such ecstacy as she, when she was told that God 
loves her with an everlasting love, and that she need not be 
afraid to trust Him, as the more she rejoices in Him, the 
more she would glorify Him." 

The earnest desire of Paul for the Church at Colosse was : 
" That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in 
love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, 
to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the 
Father, and of Christ ; in whom are hid all the treasures of 
wisdom and knowledge." 

Grateful Offering of a Saved Soul. 

She writes again thus : " One woman, to whom I took a 
Bible, said to me, i If it had not been for you I should have died 
in ignorance' Although she is poor, two Sabbaths since when 



Drawn by the Cords of Love. 



203 



a collection was taken, she put down her name for two dollars. 
She says, 'she can never thank the Lord enough for bringing her 
out of darkness into light.' 

" I visit a woman who endures great agony from cancer. She 
lives alone, in a tenement house, poor and friendless, having 
been driven from her home by her relatives because she has 
become a Protestant. But she has a firm trust in God, and it is 
indeed wonderful to see how she is supported amid terrible 
sufferings. She cannot read, having never learned, but says, 
1 1 thank God that He sends His servants to read the Bible to 
such as I.' " 

What a picture of all that is conceivable of human suffering. 
Alone, poor, persecuted, yet thankful and trustful. Oh ! How 
amazing is God's grace. 

Oh, yes, to the uttermost Jesus is able 

To save the poor sinner who cometh to Him ; 
His word is most sure, and His promise is stable : 

Though feeble thy trust and thy faith very dim, 
Yet listen again to the soul-cheering sound, 
Our Jesus can save to the uttermost bound. 

Did I hear some one say, 11 But what of to-morrow, 
For my foes are so strong, and I'm sinful indeed ? " 

He is able to cave to the end of the journey — 
To the uttermost bound of thy uttermost need. 

That same Jesus who died for us now ever lives, 

And as mightily saves as He freely forgives. 

Work Among the Jews. 

" Though laboring to bring souls to Christ, of any nation, my 
chief interest and work is among the Jews. 

" I called upon a family of very religious Jews. I talked with 
them of Christ as the true Messiah and of His sacrifice for our 



204 



Gathering Jewels. 



sins. I saw that they had the Old and New Testament, given 
them by a Christian lady. They said they often read it together, 
and I could not but think that the good seed was sown in their 
hearts. 

" I am often discouraged by the opposition of one member 
of a family. A child who goes to Sunday-school is kept away 
by an unbelieving father, just as the truth has found a lodgement 
in her heart ; but, again, my heart is filled with joy when I find 
that my labor h::s not been in vain. Such was the case in a 
family where I have prayed, and conversed often about their 
souls' salvation. The mother, a Jewess by birth, had changed 
her Jewish religion some time ago. But her heart remained 
untouched. I endeavored to make her understand what a 
change of 4 heart is, and persuaded her to go with me to a Ger- 
man church. Some weeks after the father spoke of his faith in 
Christ, and a week since his wife also gave evidence of being a 
Christian woman. During the month of March I visited a poor 
woman who had had great sorrows. She asked me for a Bible, 
for which she was most thankful. Her husband, a Catholic, now 
reads it with her, and shows by his greater kindness to her its 
blessed effect. What a blessing, indeed, is this holy book in 
these poor homes ? " 

Another Young Jewess Brought to Christ. 

"A young Jewess, who had found and believed in Jesus 
as her Saviour, wanted to unite with a Christian church, but 
her aged mother would not allow it. I encouraged her to 
pray for her mother, and one day calling to see her, I found 
she had now no objection to her daughter doing as she wished. 
I have had many conversations with Jews, and have often 
been allowed to read the Bible to them." 

It is certainly ver y encouraging to read how intensely inter- 
ested she was in the conversion of the Hebrew people. We 



Drawn by the Cords of Love. 



205 



cannot wonder at this when we consider that they were the 
chosen people of God ; and also to those who are in the habit 
of prayerfully consulting their Bibles, especially the prophecies 
pertaining to the Messiah, as they behold them literally fulfilled, 
not only as to the time and place of His birth, but His person, life, 
miracles, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 

" He surely came unto His own and His own received Him 
not, but to as many as received Him them gave He power to 
become the Sons of God, even to those who believed in His 
name." 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 



LOVE FOR THE HEBREWS. 

A weeping sinner kneels, 

The chains of death are broken, 
And soon his glad heart feels 

The Saviour's welcome spoken. 

Christ said, "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees." She 
seemed to hate everything that looked like spiritual pride, or 
idolatry, or worldliness. Hence her sternness and courage in 
watching for sin in herself or others was marked. The language 
of Jesus ever sounded in her ears : " Take heed to yourselves, 
lest haply your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunk- 
enness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you suddenly 
as a snare : for s? shall it come upon all them that dwell on the 
face of all the earth. But watch ye at every season, making 
supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that 
shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." 

She felt also that God was no respecter of persons, and her 
great ambition on this account was to try and save the Hebrew 
people from their vain delusions that they were still the chosen 
people of God, notwithstanding their rejection of the Messiah. 

This is evident from the following conversation with a Jewish 
woman about God's Word. 

"Visiting another Jewish woman, she asked me to sit down, 
and soon we were in earnest conversation about the Bible, and 
her soul's salvation. After hearing me read some passages, she 
said, ' We Jews must all be wrong if you are right.' I told her 
it was not my word, but the Word of God. I begged her to 



Love for the Hebrews. 



207 



search the Scriptures for herself, and left with her a tract re- 
lating to Christ, written by a Jew. She asked to have a 
Bible, which I carried to her. Again we conversed on this great 
subject. She liked the tract, and had lent it to several of her 
friends. She said she would read the Bible with prayer, and if 
she was wrong, the Lord would open her eyes. During these 
four months I have made over one thousand visits, distributed 
many tracts and given away eight Bibles, besides taking several 
children to the Sunday-school, and using the Mission funds in 
assisting the poor. 

" There has been a great deal of sickness this summer, es- 
pecially among the children. But I have been enabled to do 
some good by taking these little ones and their mothers into the 
country. Among them were several Roman Catholic families. 
They expressed surprise that we should do so much for them, 
saying, 'It was more than their own people would do for them.' 
In visiting one of these women soon after, she said her husband 
had told her she had better take my advice and read the Bible. 
He said she had better have one, for it could do her no harm. 
I took her the Gospel of Matthew, which she has been reading 
attentively, and her children learning verses by heart. She gave 
me fifty cents, asking if that would be enough to buy a Bible. 

"To several Catholic families I have lent Bibles, and they 
now wish to purchase them, paying for them in small sums, as 
they are able. One man, who has led a very wicked life and 
abused his family, is now so changed that when he comes home 
he asks his children to read to him. He does not go to church, 
but says, he does not know why his people are not allowed to 
read the Bible. 

" A poor woman to whom I gave a Bible handed me one dollar, 
saying she wished she was able to give more, as it had been 
such a blessing to her in her sickness and poverty. I have been 
much encouraged by the gratitude expressed for my reading the 
Scriptures in some families. A Catholic woman was in great 



2oS 



Gathering Jewels. 



distress for her husband. She begged me to pray for him, and 
calling her five children about her, we knelt in prayer. 

"I have a mothers' meeting at my house, at which several 
women have desired prayers for their husbands. Visiting in a 
house where were some Jewish families, I asked if they would 
allow me to pray with them. They said they would not dare to 
kneel, but would stand and listen. On my leaving them, they 
shook my hand, with tears in their eyes, and said they liked to 
hear my prayer. Another Jewess said she would be sorry if 
she thought we would not meet in heaven. I begged her to 
pray God to show her the true way, and read to her in Isaiah 
the prophecies concerning the Messiah. She, too, promised to 
think, and pray for light. 

"I have good hopes of several intemperate persons. They 
have abstained from drinking for several weeks, one has joined 
the Temperance Society, and another has promised to drink no 
more. They asked for a Bible, which I took to them. We have 
opened our Sewing-school again, and have the hope of accom- 
plishing much good this winter among the children. " 

Gladness in Coming to the House of God. 

She continues to write thus : " Some of the women who attend 
my mother's meeting have never attended any place of worship, 
and it is encouraging to hear them speak of reading the Script- 
ures, which they have never done before, and of the pleasure 
they take in going to the House of God, and in listening to His 
Word. 

"A Jewess, to whom I spoke of the Saviour, said, 1 Your 
religion must be very comforting, when you have something to 
rest upon. I would like to go to your church, and hear about 
your Saviour/ 

" I found a family where the mother was sick; the father 
without work, and four children to be fed. I obtained assist- 



Love for the Hebrews. 



ance for them, and after doing what I could to make them 
comfortable, I read a portion of Scripture to them. As the 
woman lay listening, the father came into the room and said, 
' You are reading the Bible ; it is a good book ; my children 
love to hear it ; they learn in the Sabbath-school what will 
do them good, but the times are hard ; I can get no work, and 
everything seems dark.' His wife said, ' God has sent us help 
just when we needed it the most.' I urged him to trust in our 
Heavenly Father, and pray to Him ; he said, 'I will try.'" 
Why not ? for 

E'en the hour that darkest seemeth 
Will His changeless goodness prove ; 

From the gloom His mercy streameth ; 
God is wisdom, God is love. 

The shadows of earth are immediately dispelled when we 
trust God, for He says, " Call upon me in the day of trouble, 
I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify Me." This passage 
has been the cup of great blessing to many a benighted soul. 

She writes : " In another family, the kindness shown has led 
the father (who has also been ill) to think seriously of religion, 
and resolve on leading a new life. 

"One poor woman, to whom I had given a Bible, said to me, 
a few days since, that she wanted to ' pay something for her 
Bible,' it had been such a comfort to her in her lonely hours. 
She said she had never read so much of the Scriptures before, 
nor found so much comfort from reading them, as during the 
last few weeks ; and now she wished me take ten cents as 
part payment ; she had been keeping it for me, and would add 
more soon, as she wanted to give me fifty cents. She was living 
alone ; her husband dead ; her son, having married recently, 
had left her, but gives a little toward her support. She was also 
made happy by some addition for Thanksgiving. 



210 



Gathering Jewels. 



" My visits among the children of the Sewing-school are also 
productive of good. One little girl whom I brought to Sabbath- 
school for the first time, induced her mother to come to church, 
where she was enough pleased to desire to come again. This 
family have usually spent their Sabbaths in reading stories in the 
newspapers, as is the case with many others from which we have 
gathered the children, and when they say at parting, ' Do come 
and see my mother,' I feel here is a wide field of usefulness 
opening before us, inviting us to enter in and work for the 
Master." 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



THANKFULNESS TO GOD. 

He is a whole Christ — He is a full Saviour ! 

He saves to the uttermost all who believe ; 
His arms of compassion are ever extended, 

The contrite and penitent souls to receive. 

St. Augustine says : " The Kingdom of Light was from its 
very commencement assailed by the Kingdom of Darkness." 
But, notwithstanding the opposition of Satan, and the strong 
prejudices of his ancient people, how encouraging to read the 
following narrative from her pen : 

"I have been able to supply the immediate necessities of 
some poor families, and it encourages my heart to see their 
gra i;ude for what is done for them, but, above all, for their 
joy at receiving the 'Word of God,' and knowing that it was 
their own. From four persons I have received payment for 
the Bibles, who were anxious to receive them, and who read 
them daily. I have met with some success among the Jews 
A Jewish girl who has been in my Sewing-school is very happy 
to be there, and says that now her father does not forbid her 
to read the Bible or attend Sunday-school. A young girl who 
attends the meeting which I hold in my house has joined the 
church in Allen Street, and is so much in earnest that she is 
trying to induce others to follow her example. I am thankful 
that my efforts for the young have not been without results." 

Why ? we ask ; because He that spared not His own Son, but 
delivered Him up for us all, how will He not with Him also 
freely give us all things. 



212 



Gathering Jewels. 



"I have had much encouragement," she continues, "in my 
labors during the summer. Visiting at the Hahnemann Hospital, 
I have become much interested in some of the patients. They 
ask me to sit down and talk to them, and I then point them to 
Jesus as the best Physician for soul as well as body. I have been 
kindly received by Roman Catholics, and have loaned Bibles to 
some of them, and some have kept them and paid for them. 

" During the months of July and August, I have found many 
sick, in assisting whom I have been aided by the Flower Mission. 

" I see a great change in families where the Bible is being 
read. One little girl says, ' I read the Bible every day, and so 
do my father and mother. Now they do not work on Sunday, as 
they used to do, but go to church, and read God's Word/ 

" My own church has been closed a part of the summer, but 
the prayer-meeting has been well attended, and there has been 
much interest evinced. A man who was a drunkard for many 
years, has given up his bad habits and is now the support and 
comfort of his family. I gave him a Bible, which he reads, and 
he seems to be a truly converted man. I have sold several 
Bibles, as well as given several away." 

At one time coming in contact with a very serious case of 
hardship, she wrote concerning it, " Formerly the mother de- 
pended upon the daughter for support, but she has lately been 
obliged to stay at home, and take care of her mother ; and in 
consequence of this, they have both suffered, as they belong to 
that class who are unwilling to make their wants known. 

u I asked if they had attended any place of worship. The 
mother said she had been a member of a Protestant church in 
Troy, but since she came to New York, and her circumstances 
had changed, not having clothing to make a decent appearance, 
she had not been to church. She added: 'I must say, it was 
pride, but I could not overcome it. Now I know and feel that 
I did wrong.' 

" She is now more comfortable ; for I have been able to get 



Thankfulness to God. 



21? 



her some little delicacies, which she suffered greatly from the 
need of. 

" It is a great satisfaction to us, when we meet with so many 
cases of want and suffering, to give some relief, however small, 
but the anxiety and labor that have often to be borne to succeed 
in the work is great. I often think that if those who employ us 
to go forth with the Word of Life in our hands could see us 
engaged in our work, giving consolation and encouragement to 
the poor and destitute, the sick and dying, and as far as in our 
power relieving their wants, they would feel abundantly rewarded 
for the good and honorable work in which they are engaged. 

" Every month I feel more and more the greatness of the 
work, and the necessity of laboring with earnestness, in order 
to compel them to come in, that the Lord's house may be filled, 
and that jewels may be gathered for our Lord and Saviour, 
Jesus Christ. I have brought a number of children into Sab- 
bath-schools, and have induced several to attend church, and 
feel that my labors have been abundantly blessed, and that 
during the last month I have been much encouraged. 

" I have succeeded in getting five tons of coal for my poor, 
besides groceries, etc. Have sold three Bibles, and given one 
away." 



CHAPTER XXX. 



LOST, BUT FOUND. 

Love of Christ, amazing love ! 

Vast as His eternity ; 
Theme of angel choirs above, 

Theme of souls redeemed like me ! 
Outward to creation's bound, 

Up to Heaven's serenest height, 
Universal space around, 

Swells the chorus day and night 

Here she writes about a woman whom she visited several 
years ago, and who attended her meetings : " I lost sight of 
her for seven or eight years. She moved away from the city. 
One day recently I was sent for by a sick woman ; I found it to 
be Mrs. V., who had returned. I read, prayed, and visited her 
until she died, believing in Jesus." Here she reports the con- 
version of several others whom she has visited and brought out 
to religious services. 

An unknown Christian lady writes thus : " Mrs. Knowles has 
great success in her work, reading God's Word, and leaving 
the Bible to be read by those whom she visits, when not able to 
purchase a Bible ; one is given in some instances ; even the 
poorest will pay a small sum. A great change is noticeable after 
the Bible is read with real interest — cleaner children, better- 
dressed men and women, and a desire to hear the Gospel." 

Why this marvellous success? What brought about this 
personal reformation in the habits and character of parents and 
children ? There are two reasons for this great change, namely : 
i. Contact with God's Word. 2. Contact with a soul set on fire 



Lost, but Found. 



^5 



with the love of Christ. Oh ! the tremendous power there is in 
divinely implanted affection when it is beautifully blended in a 
human heart. Sir Walter Scott says : 

Love rules the court, the camp, the grove, 

And men below, and saints above ; 

For love is Heaven, and Heaven is love ! 

Consolation amid Domestic Difficulties. 

When we remember that we are penning for publication only 
a few stray gleanings from the multiplicity of instances of con- 
version, the reader, we trust, will behold the variety of cases 
recorded, and we sincerely hope the Christian worker will utilize 
them for practical purposes. 

Some one has said that Paul's favorite illustrations by images 
are drawn, not from the operations and uniform phenomena of 
the natural world, but from the activities and outward exhibition 
of human society, from the lives of soldiers, from the lives of 
slaves, from the market, from athletic exercises, from agriculture, 
from architecture. 

At this time she again writes : " I visited a family where the 
mother was a Christian, and the father a Jew. The father being 
sick for two years past, and unable to support his wife and four 
children, has gone to his own people. The eldest girl is a mem- 
ber of my Sunday-school class. The mother told me one day, 
as I was speaking to her of the Bible, that she had not seen or 
read one since she was married ; 'but,' said she, 1 since Amelia 
has been in your class, she has repeated the lessons she has 
learned at home, and I am longing for a Bible.' I gave her one 
given me for my Jewish children. She thanked me heartily, and 
now reads it every day with her children. One Sunday morn- 
ing her husband came in to see them, and found her reading 
aloud to the children from the Bible. He asked her what she 
was reading. She told him it was the Bible, and how she had 
got it, and that the children went to Sunday-school, and that 



Gathering Jewels. 



she went to church. He was not pleased, but could say noth - 
ing, as he does not live with or support his family. This poor 
woman was deeply convicted of sin, and was earnestly seeking 
for forgiveness and peace, and peace has come to her sou 
through humble trust in the Saviour of sinners. Thus the Lord 
is prospering our labors, and the meetings begun in trembling, 
have been blessed to some souls." 

It seems her source of unalloyed happiness was in watching 
for souls, at morning, noon, and night. Her prayers were per- 
fumed with sighs, and cries, and tears for the impenitent. She 
was one of those so graphically described by Jeremiah : " They 
say to their mothers where is corn and wine ? when they swooned 
as the wounded in the streets of the city, when their soul was 
poured out into their mother's bosom. What thing shall I 
take to witness for thee ? what thing shall I liken to . thee, O 
daughter of Jerusalem ? what shall I equal to thee, that I may 
comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion ? for thy breach is great 
like the sea : who can heal thee." — Lam. ii. 12-13. 

Long they sat beneath the shadow, 

And the gloom of moral night, 
Waiting only for the dawning 

Of the promised heavenly light. 
But they've heard the glorious Gospel, 

Of salvation full and free, 
Now they read the " Blessed Bible," 

They are coming, Lord, to Thee. 

Hasten, Lord, the coming morning 

Of the bright, millennial day, — 
And may we who love the Saviour 

Labor to extend His sway, 
Until every ransomed being, 

On the land and on the sea, ' : 

Shall unite in one grand chorus, 

" We are coming, Lord, to Thee." ^ 



Lost, but Found. 



217 



The Fortune Teller. 

"During the last two months I have met with several. inter- 
esting cases. One Jewish woman whom I visited was always 
pleased when I told her of my interest for her people. Being 
poor and in delicate health, she could do but little for her own 
support, and I learned had resorted to telling fortunes. I showed 
her that this was wrong, and that God would not bless her, as 
it did not agree with His Word. She said, • I have often thought 
it might be wrong, but I am now convinced of it ; but what 
shall I do for my living ? ' I directed her to prayer for guidance, 
and assured her that those who put their trust in the Lord would 
be taken care of. She has since been to our meeting and re- 
quests to have a Bible. 

M I visited another woman, whose husband is a Catholic. 
Her three children are in my Sunday-school class, and I am 
much interested in them. The mother came to the German 
church, and I gave her a German Bible, as she never had one. 
Calling one day, I found her in great trouble. She said: ' Oh, 
Mrs. Knowles, I have been praying for you, and the Lord has 
sent you., I read and prayed with her, directing her to the 
Friend of sinners for peace. I think she became a true Chris- 
tian, and soon she wished to unite with the church. Her husband, 
however, opposed it, and threatened to take away the children 
from her. He did so, and sent them to the Catholic Sunday- 
school. But the seed is sown in their young hearts, and they 
say to their mother, 4 We will never turn to the Catholics.' " 

To such as are sorely tried in their households, how comfort- 
ing are the words of the Apostle : " Wherefore Jesus also, 
that he might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered 
without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without 
the camp, bearing His reproach. For here have we no continu- 
ing city, but we seek one to come. By Him therefore let us 
offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit 



2l8 



Gathering Jewels. 



of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But to do good, and to 
communicate, forget not ; for with such sacrifices God is well 
pleased." 

She adds : " During these months I have met with much 
poverty and sickness. One would almost think it would dimin- 
ish at this season, but, on the contrary, it is rather worse. I met 
with a family who had been in the country but two months. 
The father was a salesman in Germany, and can get no employ- 
ment in this country. They had nothing to eat in their house, 
but the Lord opened a way, so that something was provided for 
them. I read the Scriptures and prayed with them, and the wife 
expressed a longing to go to a German church. I took her to 
church, and gave her a Bible." 

A Jewess Finds the Messiah. 

" A poor Jewess, whose husband has been in the Insane Asy- 
lum for nearly two years, finds it hard to support her family by 
peddling. Calling one day, I found her going out without any 
shoes on her feet, and her health very poor. I bought her a 
pair of shoes, for which she was very thankful, and pointed her 
to Christ as her true friend in time of need. She reads the 
Bible, and believes He is the Messiah." 

" Another Roman Catholic woman, whom I have been visiting 
for some time, continues to attend church regularly." 



CHAPTER XXXI. 



SEA-SIDE EXCURSIONS FOR MOTHERS AND CHILDREN. 

Sure he, to whom, of mind or hand belongs 

Some craft that doth uplift the thought of men 

Above the mold, and bring to human ken 
The joys of radiance, air and clear bird-songs ; 

So that the brow, o'er moist with sullen toil, 
May catch a breeze from far-off Paradise ; 
So that the soul may, for a moment, rise 

Up from the stoop and cramp of daily moil — 
May own his gift Divine ! as sure may trace 

Its Source, as that of waters kind hands hold 
To thirsty lips ; nor need he mourn (since grace 

Of his hath such refreshment wrought) if gold 
Be scant ; to him hath richer boon been given 
An earth-bowed head to raise the nearer heaven. 

There is no sight more truly gladdening to the heart of 
the philanthropist than to behold the large barges, built after 
the model of Noah's Ark, gliding swiftly through the beau- 
tiful waters of New York Bay, heavily laden with the news-boys, 
working-girls, or poor mothers and children of the city. Thanks 
to the New York Press, and the contributors to the Fresh Air 
Fund, for thus giving the multitudes of children, that are thickly 
huddled together in our tenement-houses, an opportunity of in- 
haling pure air. 

One of the pioneers in this good work was the New York 
Times. In 1872, that paper started the " Times Excursion for 
Poor Children;" ay, and for poor adults, too. The public 
nobly responded to the Times 1 appeal, sending in about $20,000. 
During the sweltering summer of that year, the Times people 



220 



Gather ng Jewels. 



carried to shady groves and seasides tens of thousands o£ chil- 
dren who, for the first time, saw running streams and green 
fields. No one can estimate the good done, the lives saved, and 
the hours of happiness secured to young and old who have so 
few happy hours. Not the least was that of softening hearts 
and opening purses. 

In this noble work we find our deceased friend earnestly en- 
gaged instead of taking a vacation in the hot summer months. 
In her diary we find the following concerning one of these 
summer seasons : 

" It has been a great privilege, during the summer months, to 
be able to make so many poor mother's happy, by taking them 
and their children to the sea-side for bathing and country air. 
There has been much sickness in the tenement-houses. It is, 
indeed, distressing often to see two sick in one bed, the others 
nearly ready to be there, and the poor mothers, with but little 
means, scarcely able to do their work and take care of the sick 
ones. 

"It is then a happiness to obtain for them a little nourish- 
ment, and to give them words of sympathy and encouragement. 
Many are Roman Catholics, who seem surprised that I should 
take any interest in them, as they said it was more than their 
own people will do. 

" A poor woman whom I visited, said : ' I will never again 
think that Protestants cannot be saved, as I have been taught; 
and since I have read the Bible, I intend to go to a Protestant 
church and hear for myself.' 

" The Catholics say to me, ' How different your prayers are 
from ours. Why do you not pray to the Blessed Virgin ? ' I tell 
them that we only pray to the Lord Jesus Christ, as He is the 
only Saviour. While visiting lately in some wretched houses of 
infamy and talking to the poor women, they would shed tears, 
and say that they would like to live different lives, but it is so 



Sea- Side Excursions for Mothers and Children. 221 



hard to begin to do better. It is surprising to see with what at- 
tention they listen to the words of Scripture and promise to read 
the Bible themselves. 

A Wonderful Work. 

Still continuing the record of her work, she writes : " During 
last month I made two hundred and fifty visits, read the Script- 
ures as often as I had the opportunity ; have given two Bibles 
to persons who were too poor to pay for them, and sold one. 

" Several Roman Catholic women have asked for Bibles, and 
are reading them with pleasure. One woman, whose husband 
called her a ' turn-coat,' said she did not care for that, but that 
nothing should persuade her to give up her Bible. 

" I have induced several persons to attend church, and have 
taken children to the Sabbath-school, thus trying to sow the 
seed, and looking to God for His blessing. 

" A poor man, ill with consumption, is one whom I visit often. 
I have aided his family with coal, and also in buying food and 
nourishment for himself. He reads a Bible that I gave him 
every day, and when his children come from school he gets 
them to read to him. He says : ' If I had been a better man ; 
had read my Bible and taken care of my health, I might have been 
different, but now I am trusting in the Lord that He will for- 
give and accept me, and that is my ofTly hope. I tell my wife 
that when I am gone she must never give up the Bible, but 
read it every day with her children.' " 

We must ever remember, dear reader, that the unfolding of 
the Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to everyone 
%vho believeth. What a tremendous power was manifested by the 
preaching of the Gospel to the savages of North America, in 
1743. Mr. Brainerd, in his journal, gives an instance of the 
effects which followed the preaching of the Word of God. 
" There was much concern," says he, " among them while I 



222 



Gathering Jewels. 



was discoursing publicly ; but afterward, when I spoke to one 
and another whom I perceived more particularly under concern, 
the power of God seemed to descend upon the assembly, Mike 
a mighty rushing wind,' and with an astonishing energy bore 
down all before it. 

" I stood amazed at the influence that seized upon the audi- 
ence almost universally. Almost all persons of all ages, were 
bowed down together. Old men and women, who had been 
drunken wretches for many years, and some little children, not 
more than six or seven years of age, appeared in distress for 
their souls, as well as persons of middle age. These were al- 
most universally praying and crying for mercy in every part of 
the house, and many out of doors, and numbers could neither 
go nor stand ; their concern was so great, each for himself, that 
none seemed to take any notice of those about them, but each 
prayed for himself. Methought this had a near resemblance to 
the day of God's power, mentioned Josh. x. 14 ; for I must say, 
I never saw any day like it in all respects ; it was a day wherein 
the Lord did much to destroy the kingdom of darkness among 
this people." A church was soon afterward gathered among 
these poor pagans ; and such was the change effected among 
them, that many exclaimed with astonishment, " What hath God 
wrought? " 

He spent whole days in fasting and prayer, that God would 
prepare him for his great work ; and, indeed, throughout his 
whole life he was truly a " man of prayer," lifting up his heart 
to God on all occasions, frequently spending whole days in 
prayer and meditation in the fields and woods desiring holiness 
of heart far above every other object. 

Mr. Brainerd was sent by the Society for the Propagation of 
Christian Knowledge to the Indians at Kaunaumeek, a place in 
the woods between Stockbridge and Albany. In this lonely 
place he continued and endured many hardships and privations. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 



THE INTEMPERATE WIFE. 

If you cannot cross the ocean, 

And the heathen lands explore, 
You can find the heathen nearer, 

You can help them at your door. 

If you cannot give your thousands, 

You can give the widow's mite, 
And the least you give for Jesus 

Will be precious in His sight. 

In March, 1880, she writes : "I have had much encourage- 
ment in my work during the past month. In a family where I 
had visited a long time, the mother was much addicted to in- 
temperance. On calling one day, I saw the husband, who said 
he was glad I had come in, for he had resolved to leave his 
wife ; he said he could endure his life with her no longer — he 
would go his way, and she must go hers. She was much dis- 
tressed, and I once more entreated her to give up the intoxicat- 
ing cup and be a good wife and mother. I then engaged in 
prayer, beseeching the Lord to enable her to resist this dreadful 
appetite. Her husband stood by and said I 

<k i Now, Mary, you have your choice : either to follow the ad- 
vice of this kind friend, or to separate from me forever.' 

" She then and there made her decision, and, laying her hand 
on the Bible, pledged herself not to touch or taste the poison, 
and signed a paper to that effect. Since then, she has attended 
our meetings, and says she is happier than she has ever been. 



224 



Gathering Jewels. 



" Some persons to whom I have given the Bible did not seem 
to care to read it, but have now begun to do so, and encourage 
their children to read to them. One man tells me : 

" ' I am scarce five minutes in the house before my little girl 
begins to read to me, and it does me good.' 

" A man and his wife who have attended church this winter, 
will soon confess Christ. They have suffered much this season, 
as the father has had but little work ; but I have been able to 
give them some assistance. The mother said she was thankful 
to the Lord for all that had been done for them, to bring them 
through their difficulties — but, above all, that she and her hus- 
band had found rest in Jesus as their Saviour and their friend." 

Warmly Welcomed by all Denominations. 

"March, 1881. — During this month I have made many visits 
among Jews and Romanists. Some who formerly opposed me 
are now anxious to hear me read and pray, and urge me to come 
to see them often. Several Roman Catholic families have asked 
for the Bible ; and I have given several copies of the New Tes- 
tament, which they value very highly, as well for themselves as 
for their children, whom they are anxious should read and learn 
its sacred truths. One woman, whose children had been taught 
verses from the New Testament, gave me twenty-five cents to 
get her a Bible, saying she wondered why their clergy forbid 
them reading it. 

The woman mentioned before as being intemperate seems 
now truly reformed. She attends our meetings with her boy, 
and she and her husband once more live happily together. 

" My meeting for young girls continues with much encour. 
agement. They seem to take delight in reading the Scriptures, 
and in singing hymns of praise. They spend the hour in sewing 
and reading aloud, and they are greatly improved in deportment 
and character. The little Jewish girl, to whom I gave a Testa- 



The Intemperate Wife. 



225 



ment, is never absent from this meeting or from the Sunday- 
school." 

What a deplorable sight — an intemperate mother ! What a 
soul-ruinous example to a daughter ! When we consider the 
relation between the mother and the child, how great are the 
maternal responsibilities. The mother ought to attract the 
attention of the child by her love. Chilled by the sin of intem- 
perance, how many, alas ! drag down their daughters to infamy 
and a life of shame. 

But, oh, what a change is wrought in this household after the 
dramatic interview, when the husband threatens to leave his wife 
forever unless she abandons her cups. Whit joy enters that 
family circle after the mother's transformation. Surely this 
revolution in her character was not the work either of the mis- 
sionary or the person herself. It is not by works of righteousness 
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saves us. 

How sweetly Dr. Horace Bonar sings in this connection : 

Thy works, not mine, O Christ, 
Speak gladness to this heart ; 
They tell me all is done ; 
They bid my fear depart. 
To whom, save thee, 
Who can alone 
For sin atone, 
Lord, shall I flee ? 

When we contrast the previous picture with the closing para- 
graph of this last account in her diary, we behold the sudden 
change from sadness to sunshine. 

She says, " The young girls seem to take delight in reading the 
Scriptures, and in singing hymns of praise" This is the new song 
put into the mouth of the Christian at the hour of conversion: 
" Happy day, when Jesus washed my sins away." 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 



HER LOVE OF CHILDREN AND OF PRAYING. 

He loves me now, oh, blessed thought, 
He loved me when I knew Him not, 
And with His blood my pardon bought, 

On Calvary He died for me ; 
Then with such love my heart to cheer, 
How can I doubt or have one fear, 
Or ever think the days are drear, 
With Jesus near, with Jesus near. 

In 1884 she writes : " Ninety-six visits during the last month, 
and seven children taken to the Sunday-school. I am every- 
where received with kindness, and especially by the children, 
through whom I hope to reach the parents' hearts. I have dis- 
posed of several Bibles, for which I have been paid ; and I find 
there is nothing like reading some verses of Scripture to excite 
the desire to possess the Book of God. I have an interesting 
class of girls in my own house who study passages of Scripture 
every week, and by their example and influence their parents 
have been led to attend church and give their hearts to God." 

Oh, how few there are who would be so kind-hearted as this 
woman to open their own house to impart spiritual instruction to 
others. We are forcibly reminded by this gathering of girls to 
study God's Word, of a graphic scene in the Acts of the Apos- 
tles : We read that, " On the Sabbath we went out of the city 
by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made ; and we sat 
down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither. And 



Her Love of Children and of Praying. 



221 



a certain woman named Lydia, a seller cf purple, of the city of 
Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us : whose heart the 
Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were 
spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, 
she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful 
to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she 
constrained us." — Acts xvi. 13-15. 

We see from the above account of her work the multiplicity 
of her avocations : Tract-distribution, visiting and caring for 
the sick, teaching the young, not only out of God's Book, but 
instructing them how to discharge domestic duties. 

Never tired, never weary, 

In what she found to do — 
Ever winsome, always cheery, 

She knew but love for you ! 

Humble, patient, kindly, sincere, 

She loved the Master well ; 
Always trying, unknown to fear, 

She would His story tell ! 

She continues: "A short time since, on entering a house, 
the woman who opened the door asked if I was a missionary. 
When I said * Yes,' she said, 'The Lord has answered my 
prayer. I prayed that He would send one to me to read 
the Bible and pray with me.' Before, when she had been 
visited, she would hide away to avoid the visitor, but now she 
desires to be a Christian, and wishes some one to read and 
pray with her often. She is very poor, but is now seeking the 
true riches. One who had been very ill, but had recovered, 
gladly received a Bible, for which, though she is very poor, she 
gave me fifty cents. I have met with much encouragement in 
the Sabbath-school and sewing-school. Many mothers are, 
through their children, interested in religion, and come gladly 
to the mothers' meetings, and my earnest prayer is that the 
Lord will help me in the future as He has done in the past." 



228 



Gathering Jewels. 



Her prayerful spirit was marvellous. This was the reason 
why she was able to impart such comfort and encouragement to 
others. 

I called recently in the suburbs of the City of Brooklyn to 
see a member of the Allen Street Church, and, after reading 
God's Word and prayer, our conversation turned to a beautiful 
portrait that hung over the mantel-piece. The lady remarked, 
" That is the picture of my departed sister, who died in New York. 
She was faithfully visited during her sickness by Mrs. Knowles." 
She continued, "I like to think of her, because she used to tell 
me after she was gone, 'I pray for you by name every day.'" 
Perhaps that is the reason why she comes now so many miles 
through the long, dreary, stormy winter months, to teach a class 
in the Allen Street Sabbath-school, and some of the scholars 
are Hebrew children. This person for whom she prayed never 
misses any of the services at the church. 

" Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, 
over the which the Holy Ghost have made you overseers, to feed 
the church of God, which he hath purchased with His own 
blood. For I know this, that after my departure shall grievous 
wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock." 

This is the injunction of the Apostle Paul to the elders at 
Ephesus, but it is exceedingly appropriate to all who are engaged 
in missionary work of any kind, and it cannot be faithfully com- 
plied with unless there is pastoral work performed from house 
to house. Who is sufficient for these things ? 

During February and March, 1885, she again writes : u During 
the last two months I have been engaged as usual in reading 
the Scriptures from house to house, and wherever I have visited 
have been allowed to do so, with very few exceptions. Visiting 
lately in a tenement house, a woman came out, telling me that 
I would never go to Heaven, and using other insulting language. 
I only said, ' Poor woman, I pity you.' A Catholic woman, who 
heard her, asked me into her room, took me by the hand, and with 



Her Love of Children and of Praying. 



220 



tears in her eyes expressed her sorrow that I should be treated so 
ill. I told her it did not harm me as much it did themselves. I 
then asked if I might pray with them, and when we arose from 
prayers several of those present were in tears. 1 How can you 
pray for one who has abused you so ?' said they. I replied that 
Jesus prayed for His enemies, and we must imitate His example. 
One of these women came to our mothers' meeting, and asked 
me for a Bible, and promises to read it." 

Here she complied with the command of Christ : " I say 
unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good 
to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use 
you, and persecute you." 

What a wonderful exhibition we have in the above interview of 
the spirit of Him who was suspended on the cross for our sins, for 
we read : " That when they were come to the place which is 
called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, 
one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said 
Jesus, Father, forgive them : for they know not what they do. 
And they parted his raiment, and cast lots." 

The fearful drama enacted on Golgotha excites our wonuer 
when we behold the amazing love of Jesus, in thus praying for 
His persecutors. How true it is that He was clothed with the 
mock robes of royalty, that we might be clad in His justifying 
righteousness ; crowned with the crown of thorns, that we might 
wear a crown of glory. 

Flow on, thou stream ; oh, ceaseless flow, 
Till ever\* child of sin and woe 
Hath plunged beneath thy cleansing tide, 
And found the Saviour precious. 

I want to say here, that I visited a family by request a few 
evenings since in the upper part of Xew York City. During our 
religious conversation I asked the mother of the family how she 



230 



Gathering Jewels. 



was led to Christ. Her husband, daughters, and sons were all 
seated around her at the time, a happy family circle. "Well," 
she replied, " about twenty-three years ago, when my children 
were little, Mrs. Knowles met me on the street, coming from the 
store. She said, ' Excuse me, lady, will you accept a tract?' 
I answered yes. 'Will you read it,' she inquired, ' if I give you 
one ? ' I promised I would. She further asked me, ' Have you 
any children ? ' 'Yes.' ' Do they go to Sabbath-school ? ' 'No.' 
' Will you send them if I call for them next Lord's Day morning ?' 
'Yes/ She called the following Sabbath, and asked if the 
children were ready. 'They are all ready,' I said, 'but one, and 
her shoes are not good enough ; but wait and I will go out and 
buy a new pair.' ' Oh,' said Mrs. Knowles, 'never mind buying 
shoes to-day, I will call next Sabbath for them.' I did not know 
the reason then why she would not allow me to get the shoes, 
but I know now. She did not wish me to break the holy Sab- 
bath day. Then she persuaded me to attend church, until I 
found Jesus as my Saviour. I was in the habit of going to her 
with all my trouble, and she would say, ' Oh, well, never mind, 
don't tell anyone but your Heavenly Father about it.'" 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



CONVERSION OF CHILDREN. 

We are so helpless, Lord, 

Thou art all power and might ; 
Our path is often drear, 

Be thou our light. 
We have no hope but thee ; 

Oh, leave us not alone, 
Till life's brief day is o'er, 

Still guard thine own. 

Her joy in bringing children to the Sabbath-school was great, 
but when she led them to Christ it was sublime. Why should 
she not be interested in their early conversion, when Jesus said, 
" Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them 
not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." I desire to state 
here, that when I was a boy, about nine years of age, I attended 
a prayer-meeting between the morning and afternoon services, 
led by an elder of the Relief U. P. Church, Greenock, and was 
so deeply impressed with Divine truth that I gathered my play- 
mates together, and invited them to a meeting of my own across 
the burn at the foot of grandfather's garden, near Dr. McCul- 
loch's established church, where we boys read God's Word in 
turn sang the sweet psalms of David, and offered prayer. 

Rev. E. P. Hammond is doing a grand work among children 
at the present time in New York. I assisted in his meetings, and 
found a goodly number of children inquiring after Jesus, and one 
afternoon there were a dozen young men and women rejoicing 
in their sins forgiven, who had signed the covenant. 

The following letter will speak for itself regarding Mr. Ham- 



Gathering Jewels. 



mond's work here in this city among children, many of whom 
were brought to Christ : 

" New York City, March 3, 1887. 
" Dear Brother Young : I am engaged, night and day, 
holding meetings here, I wish you could come up and attend 
some of the services ; I thank you for all your kind words. I am 
to be to-morrow at the prayer-meeting as per bill. If you can 
be there I shall be glad to see you. 

" One hundred and twe' ty here, gave their names to us yester- 
day, saying they had been converted in these meetings (for the 
most part). To-morrow night we go to Carle Hall. It will 
hold, perhaps, three or four thousand. Pray for us. 

" Yours in Jesus, 

" E. P. Hammond." 

The afternoon I visited the scene of his labors, he presented 
me with a copy of his work entitled, " The Conversion of the 
Children," in which I have found a very encouraging letter to 
workers among the little ones. I use it here to illustrate the 
power of Divine grace, and to show that wherever the effort is 
put forth to save the children, God blesses it. 

The following letter will testify also to the power of the Gos- 
pel. It is the production of one whom God has been graciously 
pleased to bless in a marvellous manner among the young. 

" Glasgow, Scotland, September, 18, 1877. 
" My Dear Mr. Hammond : We oftentimes remember you, 
though few letters have passed between us. My daughters 
and myself will never forget your visit and the time of blessing 
then, and they, as well as myself, send you most hearty saluta- 
tions. 

" Dear brother, my thoughts on the subject of the conversion 
of children are the same as when I wrote that tract you refer 



Conversion of Children. 



233 



to.* I think I agreed with you in almost ry thing but one, 
viz., expressing publicly an opinion on cases. It seems to me 
that we should be cautious in so doing ; for children themselves 
mistake feeling for faith ; how easy, then, for us who do not 
know the heart, to mistake in them a manifestation of feeling 
for evidence of faith. 

" But in the awakening which took place under your labors 
here, and in awakenings that have been given us since, the 
cases of young people have been as entirely satisfactory as any 
cases we have had. If conversion be God's work, in which the 
Holy Spirit reveals Christ to the soul, surely His work can take 
place in children as really as in the old ; for it is the young soul 
meeting with Christ in the one case and the adult in the other. 

" One day, about the time, or perhaps after the time, you were 
among us, in the vestry of my church, an old Christian woman, 
who had watched the work going on, came to me and said, ' Sin 
you will find many people speaking lightly of the young who 
come to Christ, as if there was nothing but feeling in their case ; 
but never mind what these people say. I was converted in the 
days of Dr. Kidd, of Aberdeen, when I was but a child, and two 
others of my age were converted at the same time ; and we have 
all three gone on to this day, following the Lamb.' 

"The Lord blesses you amazingly. Surely you will need to 
'walk circumspectly,' ' sober, vigilant,' for Satan will not fail to 
watch you, and seek to injure you, that he may injure God's 
work through you. If the way be opened for your revisiting 
Scotland, many among us shall rejoice. 

" Meanwhile, we pray for you, and will not cease. Pray for 
us still, dear brother. 

" Yours truly, in Him 'Whose we are and whom we serve,' 

"Andrew A. Bonar." 

But what makes us to differ from each other ? Surely it is 



* The Conversion of Children, by Dr. A. A. Bonar. 



234 



Gathering Jewels. 



simply the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our heart. 
It is all of free sovereign grace and mercy, as Paul says, to the 
Church at Corinth : 

" By the grace of God I am what I am : and His grace which 
was bestowed upon me was not found vain : but I labored more 
abundantly than they all : yet not I, but the grace of God which 
was with me. Whether then it be I or they, so we preach, and 
so ye believed." 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



ASLEEP IN JESUS.* 

Asleep in Jesus ; blessed sleep, 

From which none ever wakes to weep, 

A calm and undisturbed repose, 
Unbroken by the last of foes. 

" For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." — Philippians i. 21. 

One week ago to-day, and at this hour, we stood in this his- 
toric church over the precious remains of our dear, departed 
Elder, James Knowles, so kind, so gentle, so affectionate, so 
humble, and so meek in his manners that we greatly miss him in 
our work for the blessed Master. Ah ! little did we then think 
that we w r ere to be so speedily gathered together to pay the last 
tribute of respect to the memory of his faithful and loving wife. 
But God's ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts as our 
thoughts. How inexplicable and profoundly mysterious are 
His providential arrangements. It hath pleased our kind 
heavenly Father to say to our sainted sister, " It is enough, 
come up higher." She also is at rest with her Saviour and her 
husband, to whom she was so devotedly attached. She was, in- 
deed, a virtuous wife and loving mother. 

14 The race appointed she has run, 
The combat's o'er, the prize is won." 

* The substance of a sermon preached by the Rev. Duncan McNeill Young, in the Allen 
Street Presbyterian Church, New York, November i, 1886, on the occasion of the death of 
Mrs. James Knowles, a city missionary, who triumphantly departed this life on October 30, 
j886, in the seventy-fifth year of her age. 



236 



Gathering Jewels. 



How blessed the change ! How rich the reward ! How safe 
from all sin and sorrow ! In yonder " land of pure delight where 
saints immortal reign." What a meeting ! What a greeting 
takes place at the hour of dissolution ! How pleasing the contem- 
plation. How inspiring to think of our noble ancestors ; our 
holy ministers and teachers ; our fathers and mothers who led 
us by the hand to the house of God on the Sabbath, who early 
taught us to lisp the ever precious name of Jesus ; who are to- 
day singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. Let us thank God 
at this solemn hour, even amid blinding tears, for pious, praying 
parents. 

Oh, that the Holy Spirit of God may touch our hearts to-day; 
that we may more fully realize the greatness and importance of 
our work, and that we may understand that this second great 
loss to this church is the voice of the God of Israel calling us, 
by the solemn dispensations of His providence, to be more zeal- 
ous in our Saviour's caus.e. Clarify our vision just now, O 
Thou Divine Enlightener, that we may see light in Thy light. 

I truly believe my theme to-day is a gift from the Lord, the 
God of Abraham, and is peculiarly appropriate for this solemn 
scene, and adapted to the circumstances and special wants of 
this church and congregation. " Precious in the sight of the 
Lord is the death of His saints." The text, I may add, has 
been graphically illustrated in the life and labors, as well as in 
the death of her who now lies before us in that beautiful casket, 
covered with so many rich and fragrant flowers, the gifts of 
dearly beloved friends. 

While I do not believe in eulogizing the dead, yet, never- 
theless, I think, nay, I experimentally know, that great good is 
derived from reflection upon the lives of the great, the pure, and 
the noble ones who are beyond the flood. Nothing stimulates 
me so much to increased activity and aggresiveness in Christian 
work as the thought of the numerous servants of the Most 
High God now in heaven : 



Asleep in Jesus. 



237 



" How bright those glorious spirits shine, 
Whence all their white array ? 
How came they to the blissful seats 
Of everlasting day ? " — 11 Par."' lxvi. 1. 

Paul, who uttered the words of our text, was passing through 
great suffering when he wrote this epistle to the Church which he 
planted at Philippi. He was at this time a prisoner for Christ in 
the palace of the imperial city of Rome : for he declares, " That 
the things that happened unto me, have fallen out rather unto the 
furtherance of the Gospel ; so that," he adds, " my bonds in Christ 
are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places." 

There are just two thoughts that we want to try and develop 
this afternoon, namely, that conformity to the likeness of Christ 
in life brings glorious gain to the Christian at death. Or, in 
the words of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, " For to me to 
live is Christ, and to die is gain." From the sacred hour that 
the blessed Jesus met him on his way to Damascus, to the day 
of his martyrdom, his continual cry was, "God forbid that I 
should glory, save in the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, by 
whom the world is crucified unto me." " I count all things but 
loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my 
Lord." 

u That man," says the Hebrew bard, "hath perfect blessed- 
ness, who not only refraineth from walking astray, but who de- 
lights in the Law of the Lord." Lex rex, was his motto — " The 
Law is King ! " For the Master has said : " Think not that I 
am come to destroy the law. or the prophets : I am not come to 
destroy, but to fulfil." He desires to corroborate the fact that — 
"Ye are the light of the world" — hence, he adds, "Let your 
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, 
and glorify your Father which is in heaven." " The city set on 
a hill cannot be hid." 

The true Christian, then, beholds the humility and majesty of 
Christ in defining His and our relation to the law that regulates 



2 3 8 



Gathering Jewels. 



daily .life. The Gospel of the blessed God and the law con- 
jointly elevates and spiritualizes humanity. The law is our 
school-master to lead us to Christ, hence Paul says, " To be 
carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life 
and peace. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak 
through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of 
sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh : that the 
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not 
after the flesh, but after the Spirit." 

Our loved one's life was emphatically a life of consecration. It 
was a life strictly devoted to the cause of her dear Redeemer. 
" For her to live was Christ, hence to die was gain." We all 
know that to consecrate is to set apart for holy service. Aaron 
of old was thus unreservedly laid upon the altar as a living sac- 
rifice for Jehovah. A person thus set apart receives the unction 
of the Holy One. It was beautifully symbolized under the 
mosaical dispensation. 

Moses took the anointing oil and poured it upon the head of 
Aaron, in order that he might be sanctified and set apart for the 
service of God. And so, when we can truly exclaim with Paul, " I 
am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ 
liveth in me : and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by 
the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for 
me." It is then we receive the blessed baptism of the Holy Spirit, 
and are made meet for the Master's use. None can rightly live 
for Christ until they receive this rich and inestimable blessing. 
"At that time we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." 

Among the personal property of Sister Knowles were found 
some crumbs which fell from the Master's table in the form of 
forget-me-nots of the Word of God, by Dr. McDuff, author of 
"Morning and Night Watches." Valuable little works which I 
would earnestly recommend, and which I have endeavored to 
put into the hands of many young disciples in my various fields 
of labor. I will quote a few of the forget-me-nots, as they are 



Asleep in Jesus. 



2 39 



very comforting in these hours of sorrow and separation. For 
instance here are a few of them : 

" Fear thou not ; for I am with thee : be not dismayed; for I am 
thy God : I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will 
uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." — Isa. xli, 
10. " Yet will I not forget thee : Even to your old age I am He; 
and even to hoar hairs will I carry you : I have made, and I will 
bear ; even I will carry, and will deliver you." — Isa. xlvi. 4. 

Our dear Sister Knowles corroborated the truthfulness of the 
above passages by her last dying words, the last she ever uttered 
upon earth. " Once I was young, now I am old, and have never 
been forsaken." 

It is impossible for us to live a truly devoted Christian life with- 
out the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, John 
said, " I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance : but he- that 
cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy 
to bear : he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." 
This divine blessing our dear sister pre-eminently possessed. 

This was the reason why Christ, our ever adorable Redeemer 
and Daysman was continually about His Father's business. The 
Prophet Isaiah said concerning him : " The Spirit of the Lord 
God is upon me ; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach 
good tidings unto the meek ; he hath sent me to bind up the 
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the open- 
ing of the prison to them that are bound. . . . To comfort 
all that mourn ; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give 
unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the gar- 
ment of praise for the spirit of heaviness ; that they might be 
called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He 
might be glorified. ' ' 

The presence here to-day, in a body, of the " New York 
Female Bible Readers' Society," out of respect to the memory 
of the departed, is a conclusive evidence of the fact that they 
recognized her sterling qualities, and her heroic missionary spirit 



240 



Gathering Jewels. 



among the fallen sons and daughters of Adam in the lower part 
of this great city. They fully realize that this church and com- 
munity have suffered a severe loss in her removal, and their pres- 
ence, together with so many elders, and ministers, deacons, and 
Sabbath-school workers, give proof that her life, for over a quarter 
of a century, during which she incessantly toiled for Christ, were 
years of holy and unremitting industry, and holy consecration in 
the service of Him whose whole life was one of self-sacrifice and 
self-abnegation. " For He came not to be ministered unto, but 
to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." 

She was like Christ in this respect. Emptied of self, and was 
found like Mary of old sitting at the feet of Jesus, and hearing 
His word. As He said, " Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly 
in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls." 

God has wisely ordained that souls are to be saved through 
human instrumentality, especially through those whose hearts 
are in the work. He hath put the treasure in the earthen vessel 
that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of 
man. Who can estimate the value of a holy missionary woman's 
work in this world of sin and sorrow ? 

Through the power of an indwelling spirit, who can tell 
of the many broken hearts healed by the application of the 
Balm of Gilead. Many poor Satan-bound souls have had 
their shackles severed, and joyously set at liberty by pointing 
them to the only Redeemer of God's elect, who by His great 
atoning work hath paid for them the ransom price ; and many 
to-day are singing the song of Redeeming love above, who 
were led to put their trust in the blessed Jesus by her prayers 
and religious instruction. Many a poor Jew, and Jewess, and 
Roman Catholic, and Formalist, and Infidel, and swearer, and 
Sabbath-breaker, were pointed by her to the Lamb of God who 
taketh away the sin of the world. She ever displayed great 
sagacity in every kind of work. She will be greatly missed in the 
Tenth Ward of this city. 



Asleep in Jesus. 



God grant that as the spirit of Elijah did rest on Elisha as 
he was taken up into Heaven, even so may her mantle fall on 
us who are left behind. Let us 

" With zeal like hers inspired, 
Begin the Christian race ; 
And freed from each encumbering weight, 
Her holy footsteps trace." 

Krummacher, of Elberfeld, in the valley of Barmen, Prussia, 
said, " That Elisha on inheriting this mantle is henceforth called 
to take the place of his great Master, and to carry on His work." 
This singular legacy was therefore very significant to Elisha. 
The mantle came flying toward him heavily laden, but with the 
commission he received was connected the encouraging cir- 
cumstance that it came accompanied with such a precious 
memorial of his paternal Master. It was no longer the robe of 
his redoubted reformer, but the robe of a blessed heir of 
Heaven, borne thither on the wings of the cherubin. This cir- 
cumstance would tend to refresh his spirit in his ardicous work j 
and, at the same time as the messenger of peace, who was to 
announce to the house of Israel, like the rainbow after the 
storm, Jehovah's good-will toward men. Oh, that the remem- 
brance of our ancestors, the great, and the good, and the holy 
ones who have gone before would inspire us to go and do like- 
wise ! 

I remember once standing in the cemetery of Stirling and 
gazing upon the monument of two Christian sisters who suffered 
martyrdom for Christ, and as I read the inscription on the tomb- 
stone, I thought of how much we were indebted to those who 
have borne the burden and heat of the day. 

Here is the inscription : " Margaret, Virgin Martyr of the 
Ocean Wave, with her like-minded sister, Agnes." Then fol- 
lows this touching paragraph: " Love, many waters cannot 
quench. God saves His chaste, impearled one ! In Covenant 



2\2 



Gathering Jewels, 



true. Oh, Scotia's daughters ! earnest scan the Page and prize 
this flower of Grace, blood-bought for you." — Psalms ix. xix. The 
elder and younger sister are exquisitely sculptured, seated to- 
gether with an open Bible on their laps, and a lamb by their 
side, while an angel is standing behind them gazing intently on 
the scene. Who can tell but the departed one gazed upon this 
very scene in the days of her sunny childhood, for the Bible 
was her daily delight. 

Ah ! dear friends, are they not all ministering spirits sent forth 
to minister to them who are heirs of salvation ? And are there 
not many living martyrs that the world knows nothing of among 
our Bible Readers in this city, who are saying as Paul did : 
" What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart ? for I am ready 
not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem, for the name 
of the Lord Jesus." — Acts xxi. 13. 

A French gentleman, a Roman Catholic, who lived in the 
same house as sister Knowles for several years, told me that he 
never met a woman so humble and straightforward as she was 
in all her deportment. 

What was the secret of her power in eliciting this outside tes- 
timony ? She had companionship with Jesus. She lived near 
Him ; she heard His sweet voice saying : " Behold, I stand at the 
door, and knock : if any man hear my voice, and open the door, 
I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." 

The holy McCheyne, of St. Peter's, Dundee, Scotland, says, 
concerning those who walk with Christ on earth, " That they 
shall walk with Christ in white, for they are worthy. . 
Never forget, dear brethren, that you are to walk with Christ. 
This walk expresses the most real intimacy with Him. You 
know it is a mark of real intimacy to admit one to walk with us 
in our solitary rambles. Oh, walk with Him now ; walk here 
with Him, and you shall soon put your head where John put 
his." 

She cultivated a firm and unstaggering confidence in the con- 



Asleep in Jesus. 



243 



tinued presence of the Holy Spirit in her heart. McCheyne's 
directions to his flock was, " Pray for the Holy Spirit to uphold 
you, if sensible of your weakness ; then lean upon this proved 
Comforter. . . . Pray much for this Co?nforter that He 
may enlighten your mind, that He may Jill your hearts. Oh, pray 
for the Spirit of God, for there is no other way of walking to 
heaven but by the Spirit. Let Him lead you. My dear brethren, 
in this way, and in this way alone, will you not defile your gar- 
ments.'' " Thy Spirit is good ; lead me into the land of up- 
rightness." — Psalm cxliii. 10. She had faith in the power of 
the Comforter, or helper. 

In the midst of many privations, and sometimes when the 
week's earnings of her husband was small, and he would say to 
her on the Saturday evening, " I have not much money for you 
to-night," she would cheerfully reply : " Never mind dearest, the 
Lord will provide." Jehovah-jireh ! was her watchword all 
through her life. She would remark, " That would go further to 
them with God's blessing, than three times as much without His 
blessing." 

Earthly comforts and pleasures might fail, but the joys that 
spring from personal piety and firm faith in the Comforter's 
presence failed her never. She seemed to fully realize the 
potency of the prophet's words, " Although the fig-tree shall 
not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines ; the labor of the 
olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat ; the flock 
shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the 
stalls : Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of 
my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will make 
my feet like hinds' feet." — -Hab. iii. 17-19. 

She evidently found in the mighty God of Abraham, Isaac, 
and Israel, an inexhaustible source of strength and comfort 
and consolation through her child-like trust in the immutable 
promise, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." 

Conformity to the character of Christ was an essential ele- 



244 



Gathering Jewels. 



ment in her every-day life. She had cares, difficulties, and tri- 
als, but she cast them all upon the great burden -bearer, hence 
prevailing prayer was ever her chief delight. It is no mis- 
placed and extravagant exaggeration to say that she breathed 
the very atmosphere of prayer. This is the wisest resource 
at all times. Like Elijah on the summit of Mount Carmel, 
where all is peaceful and solitary, alone with God, she made 
her requests known unto Him. It was then that the peace of 
God which passeth all understanding, kept her heart and mind 
through Christ Jesus. — Phil. iv. 6-7. 

Oh, who can fully estimate the excellency of a devotional tem- 
perament ? What evils we are delivered from ! What mercies 
we receive ! What gladness of heart ! What light is imparted ! 
What strength God bestows ! For, has He not promised, " Ask, 
and ye shall receive ? " She had no doubts concerning the 
faithfulness of her Father to answer prayer. It was through her 
importunate pleadings at the throne of grace that her only son, 
when quite young, was led to see his need of Jesus. And what 
joy was brought into the hearts of those parents when, at the 
return of th'j father from the prayer-meeting, they found their 
child on hi'} knees crying for God to have mercy on his soul. 
Over such scenes as this the holy angels delight to bend their 
bright wings and make joyous music in heaven. (See Luke 
xv. 10.) 

On one occasion during the fratricidal war in this country, 
when her boy was fighting before Richmond, some one brought 
her word that he was mortally wounded on the battle-field, for 
they had seen his name in the newspapers, she calmly and trust- 
fully replied : " Not my son ; for I have made him the subject 
of earnest prayer, that his young life may be guarded by God 
while in his country's battles for continued liberty and inde- 
pendence." She recognized the truth that piety and patriotism 
are inseparably connected. 

She seemed to realize that the Saviour was always at her side. 



Asleep in Jesus. 



2 45 



She walked by faith and not by sight. She understood the dis- 
tinction between the constituents of faith and the consequences 
of faith. Chalmers wisely remarks — that the gratitude, the 
love, the disposition toward new obedience ; these are not the 
ingredients of faith ; they are but the effects of it. Observe 
what follows by making them the ingredients. By faith we are 
said to be justified ; but if our piety toward God, or our desire 
to conform to His law, or any moral characteristic whatever, 
shall be regarded as parts and constituents of this faith ; then, 
under the consciousness of our sad deficiency, we shall never 
attain to the solid peace of one who rejoices in a firm sense of 
his acceptance with God. But reduce faith to its simplicity, 
take it in the obvious and uncompounded sense which you at- 
tach to the mere act of believing, regard it as purely giving credit to 
God's testimony, when he sets forth Christ as a propitiation for our 
sin, and invites one and all in the world to cast upon Him the bur- 
den of their reliance, and then see how, by immediate transition, one 
might enter into peace, and become a confiding, tranquillized, and 
happy creature, simply because convinced that the most powerful 
of beings, whom he aforetime regarded as an enemy and an 
avenger is pacified toward him, and now makes him a free prof- 
fer of fellowship and forgiveness. It is of the greatest impor- 
tance to the secure and perfect establishment of a believer's 
peace, that it should be a matter of believing, and believing only. 
It is also an imperative necessity that the comfort and confi- 
dence should spring from the proper object of belief, which is the 
sureness of God's own testimony, and not from the conscious- 
ness of love or gratitude, or any moral quality in ourselves ! 

I heard Dr. Andrew Bonar, while preaching in Philadelphia, 
during a visit to this country, tell about a dying elder who was 
asked by friends who clustered around his couch, " How do you 
feel, now that the hour of your departure has come, and you 
hear the voice that calls you home ? Have you still joy and 
peace?" 



246 



Gathering Jewels. 



" Oh/' he said, " I am not thinking about joy or peace, or my 
feelings. I am not thinking about myself at all. I am just lying 
here thinking about Christ. I am thinking about what He has 
done and suffered for me ; and what He is doing for me in 
heaven. Yes, He is 'a hiding place from the wind/ 

' Rock of ages cleft for me, 
Let me hide myself in thee.' 

" That is what we have to do in life and in death. Where 
can we find rest and refuge in a dying hour, but by thinking 
upon and trusting in Him who is ' the shadow of a great rock in 
a weary land ? ' " 

Our peace, our joy, our hope, our all in life and in death, are 
the results of confidence in Christ. Our dear, departed sister 
had heard the sweet voice of Jesus saying, " I am the dark 
world's light ; come unto me, thy morn shall rise and all thy day 
be bright." Her trust was not in this vain and transitory world, 
though smiling and fair, she trusted not His joy, for sorrow was 
there. Her faith had found an anchor — a sure abiding home; 
she had a strong consolation because she had fled for refuge 
and had laid hold of the hope set before her in the Gospel. 

The sweet and tender and loving words of John were ever 
present to her ear : " If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, 
we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus 
Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." Hence she contin- 
ually enjoyed four precious elements of spiritual life and Chris- 
tian experience ; viz., Union with God, Communion with Christ, 
Pure Fellowship with the Saints, and Constant Cleansing by the 
peace-speaking blood of Jesus — " That blood which speaketh 
better things than the blood of Abel." 

The application to your hearts of the blood of Jesus by the 
Holy Spirit is like the dew upon the new mown grass. 

Amid the great rush and roar of business, where men are 
pressing against each other on the busy streets, in the race for 



Asleep i7i Jesus. 



*47 



gold, her mind was constantly occupied with thoughts relative 
to the wants and woes of the sick and the dying. While others 
were daily seeking their own, not the things of Christ, she was 
found bringing children to the Sabbath-school — reaching out to 
the hearts of the parents through the little ones — bringing the 
blessed Bible to the bosoms of the homes which had none ; 
circulating tracts and religious literature ; visiting sad scenes of 
distressing spiritual and domestic destitution. And whatsoever 
her hands found to do, she did it quietly and unostentatiously, 
and unreservedly, knowing full well, " That there is no work, nor 
device, nor knowledge in the grave whither we goeth." She 
sweetly rests from her labors, and her works do follow her. 
And as the Gospel of the grace of God was in her a well of 
water, out of the abundance of her heart, so kind, calm, consist- 
ent, and courageous, there constantly flowed streams of living 
water of earnest, loving, prayerful toil in the Master's vineyard. 

She gathered daily jewels for the crown of her rejoicing. I 
have found in her diary, that this was the aim of her whole life. 

Companionship with Christ is constantly manifested by love 
for the Holy Scriptures. " If ye abide in me, and my words 
abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto 
you." The will of Jesus is made known through His word. 
When the blessed Master was in Capernaum, His own city, He 
declared that it was the Spirit that quickenth, the flesh profiteth 
nothing : " The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, 
and they are life." — John vi. 63. 

There is sunshine and beauty in His words. They are prac- 
tical principles for the regulation of life, and a humble, holy 
walk and conversation is the product. It is in His word we 
behold the character of Jesus. In the Mirror of the glad tid- 
ings, we behold His lovely countenance and are changed into 
the same image, from glory to glory. It is no wonder that David 
exclaimed, " The entrance of Thy word giveth light." Hence 
the exhortation of Paul to Timothy, " Preach the Word." Oh, 



248 



Gathering jewels. 



the intrinsic value of the Word of God. It was because of 
Christ's own word that the Samaritans believed on Him, not- 
withstanding the prejudice they entertained against the Jews and 
their religion. 

Alas ! how many professing Christians, make shipwreck of 
faith because they neglect to read the Word. Christ is the 
Word. "This is that bread which came down from heaven. He 
that eateth my' flesh shall live forever." 

What Matthew Henry says of his father at his funeral, maybe 
said with reference to the dear one who has just left us for the 
mansions above. Let us then, as ever we hope to meet her with 
joy in the other world, follow her with diligence now. Having 
begun " in the spirit," let us not "end in the flesh," — having 
laid our hands "on the plough," let us not "look back," lest 
our latter end be worse than our beginning. 

Being dead, she yet speaks to us to be loving and helpful to one 
another. Her common and undistinguished love to us all was 
such that it could never be said which of us she loved the best, 
and it speaks to us, now that she is gone, to " love one another 
with a pure heart fervently." We know very well that our unity 
was the joy of her heart while living, and many a time she hath 
with us blessed God for it. Let it, therefore, be to the credit 
and honor of her family, friends, and the Church, for I find it 
was her dying prayer for this church and its minister, not only 
that we may be built up in holiness and comfort, but that we may 
be continued in brotherly love, and be a bundle of arrows which 
cannot be broken. 

Now that we have lost her who was wont to pray for us, and 
to be a common helper to us, let us pray so much the more one 
for another, and be so much the more helpful one to another, 
especially in the things that pertain to the kingdom of heaven ; 
and let all our bonds of unity be strengthened and confirmed, 
and let it be our constant endeavor, each of us_ in our place, to 
be mutually serviceable to each other's comfort and welfare, 



Asleep in Jesus. 



249 



and jointly serviceable to the glory of God and to the comfort of the 
Church, for Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for the 
Church. 

When we unbosom ourselves, He lets His love stream richly 
and gloriously into our hearts. From day to day, our sister 
seemed to realize how strongly and truly Christ loved the 
Church, and herself, as an individual member of it. The sacri- 
ficial death of the Saviour was to her not simply an historical 
fact, but a living reality. The sweet peace and pure pleasure 
she daily enjoyed was the result of His death. For, " He hath 
made peace through the blood of His cross." And since He 
had made her the happy recipient of His grace, it was her daily 
delight to walk in the path of obedience. Christ was to her the 
door of salvation, and she went in and out and found pasture, 
in ministering to the poor and indigent and dying, and in this 
line of Christian toil she possessed a remarkable faculty. 

She told me on one occasion, during one of my pastoral visits, 
that she visited a dying woman and endeavored to point her to 
Jesus. And when a clergyman of the Church of Rome, who 
happened to be present, was retiring, she suggested that they 
should have a word of prayer together. He replied, " That 
while he enjoyed her religious conversation, he could not pray 
with her, as she did not belong to his church." 

At this remark she was deeply affected, and said, with great 
emphasis and deep solemnity: " I thought there was but one 
fold and one shepherd." 

When she sent around, or rather, came herself for me, to the 
church on Friday, the prayer-meeting night, to come and see 
her dear dying husband, she seemed to be troubled when I 
asked him,- " Are you still trusting in Jesus ?" as I observed he 
was rapidly sinking, I put the question that I might employ his 
blessed testimony for my own good, and the good of the con- 
gregation. He quickly responded very emphatically in the 
affirmative, "Yes! yes!" and I think those were the last au- 



2 5° 



Gatherifig Jewels. 



dible words he uttered. But she was troubled because she had 
such faith in the consistency of the Christian life of her hus- 
band, that she knew full well that he feared no evil, for Christ 
was with him. 

Oh, how tenderly and lovingly she would step up to his bed- 
side and kiss his heated brow. When he became unconscious, 
or rather, when his speech failed him and he would point to his 
parched lips to have them moistened, she would tearfully ex- 
claim, " My dear, dear husband, can you not speak to me ? Have 
you not a word for Esther ? My dear husband, how can I live 
without you ? " 

I endeavored to console her on the sorrowful occasion, until 
after midnight, by reading the Scriptures, and prayer, and gen- 
eral conversation about heavenly things, and more especially 
the precious promises of Jesus concerning the many mansions, I 
remember reading 2 Corinthians, v. 1 : " We know that if our 
earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a build- 
ing of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." 

About midnight she became perfectly resigned to the will of 
God, and felt that life, even amid affliction, is the gift of God, 
and is a valuable endowment. 

In this she was like Christ, " For me to live is Christ," seem- 
ed to be her motto to the last. I left the house about two in 
the morning. I called again between eight and nine a.m'., the 
same day, after her husband's death, to see how she was bear- 
ing her trouble. But oh, how changed ! Her tears were all 
dried ; and as she sat by the bedside where her husband suf- 
fered his last illness, her countenance wore an expression of 
perfect peace and Christian fortitude. Like her Saviour amid 
the hoary olives of Gethsemane, she could tranquilly exclaim : 
" Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done ! " 

The first words she uttered when I entered the room were : 
" My dear husband has gone to glory." These words were ut- 
tered very quietly, and very solemnly. Ah, little did she think 



Asleep in Jesus. 



that in just one week and two hours from that time, she also 
was to pass away from earth to heaven, " To see the King in his 
beauty, and be forever with the Lord." 

The Saturday night after her husband's death, she went to 
the store for some groceries. It was the usual custom for her 
husband, when he would hear the door open, to go down-stairs 
and carry the basket up for her ; she remarked, when she re- 
truned home and experienced his absence for the first time, 
" No Papa to come and carry up the basket to-night!" How 
quickly she remembered this little act of courtesy and kind- 
ness on his part. " He that is faithful in that which is least, is 
faithful in much." Gratitude to God and one another for little 
deeds of kindness is well-pleasing in His sight. 

She fed the hungry and clothed the naked ; many a loaf of 
bread she carried with her own hands to the necessitous. Many 
a poor, crying, shivering, half-clad child was comfortably clothed 
through her instrumentality : " He that honoreth Him hath 
mercy on the poor." — Prov. xiv. 31. " The poor always ye 
have with you ; but me ye have not always." Shall the Chris- 
tian's remembrance of these words be overlooked in the great 
day of reckoning ? Will the dear Lord not recognize even a 
cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple ? Verily it 
shall in no wise lose its reward. To care for the poor is prac- 
tical Christianity. The question will not be asked in the great 
day of account : Did you preach long, deep, and eloquent ser- 
mons ? Or offer long and pharisaical prayers ? No. But He 
will " say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed." 
Why ? " Inherit the kingdom. . . . For I was an hungred, 
and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink : I 
was a stranger and ye took me in : naked, and ye clothed me : I 
was sick, and ye visited me : I was in prison, and ye came unto 
me. Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when 
saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee ? or thirsty, and gave 
thee drink ? , . . And the King shall answer and say unto 



252 



Gathering Jewels. 



them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto 
one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." 

As Christian workers we have constantly to remember that 
while we are justified by our faith here, and now, we will be 
judged by our works, yonder. 

Henry Law, in " Christ is All," wisely remarks that, " Fruit 
is the sign of healthy trees, and so works evidence that we have 
life." " By their fruits ye shall know them." " Whoso hath this 
world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth 
up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of 
God in him ?" 

To Die is Gain. 

How frail, how short, how uncertain is human life. " Man 
that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He 
cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down." — Job xiv. i. " As 
for man, his days are as grass : as a flower of the field, so he 
flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone ; and 
the place thereof shall know it no more." — Ps. ciii. 15-16. 

" All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of 
grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away, 
but the Word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the 
Word which by the Gospel is preached unto y^ou." — 1 Pet. i. 24-25. 

These very solemn passages of Scripture reveal to us two dis- 
tinct lines of thought : First, The mutable ; and, secondly, the 
immutable. If a man die, shall he live again? Ah, it is here, 
amid the ravages which death makes, that we hear Christ's 
blessed words, " I am the resurrection and the life ; he that be- 
lieveth on me though he were dead, yet shall he live." 

While it is true that this body must droop and die, and return 
to dust, yet death cannot touch the soul. It is immortal," it has 
been created in the image of God. Fie is a spirit, and a spirit 
is indestructible. The essence of the soul is spiritual. From 
the hour of the new birth, the soul of man begins to ripen for 



Asleep in Jesus. 



2 53 



glory. All its powers and capacities are gradually developed 
and made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. 

This preparation for Heaven is the work of the Holy Spirit. 
By providences, by sermons, by the word of truth, and by prayer, 
God prepares His servants for the heavenly home on high. 
Looking, then, at this life as a state of danger, difficulties, and 
trials — a life of probation — we must say with Paul, that when 
the great conflict is over, " To die is gain." lk The time of my 
departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished 
my course, I have kept the faith : henceforth there is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous 
judge, shall give me at that day." 

But remember he said, now I am ready to be offered. 

It is only when we are ready to be offered, that to die will be 
gam. Oh, are you ready? Jesus says, "be ye also ready." 

There are some here, perhaps, who are still unsaved, unpre- 
pared for death. Oh, if God should call for you to-day, where 
would your soul go ? You know that God out of Christ is a 
consuming fire. It will not be gain for you when you die, un- 
less you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, come to Him 
while it is the accepted time, and the day of salvation. 

There is no time to be lost in this important matter, for death 
is upon our track. While God invites how blest the day. While 
the Holy Spirit is speaking and saying, " Prepare to meet thy 
God." Oh, resist not entreaties, yield to His power. How is it 
possible for a soul to be ready for death, and judgment, and a 
coming eternity, without conversion ? 

"Verily, verily," said Jesus to Xicodemus, "I say unto thee. 
Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of 
God." " Except ye be converted, and become as little children, 
ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." How is it pos- 
sible for any to be ready to meet God in peace unless they are 
washed in Christ's blood, and clothed in His spotless and justi- 
fying righteousness. 



*S4 



Gathering Jewels. 



Paul said, " To be absent from the body is to be present with 
the Lord." There are some, however, who do not believe this 
comforting doctrine. They debar the Christian from the en- 
joyments of Heaven during the intermediate state between the 
hour of death and the resurrection. This condition they call 
the unconscious state of the dead. They are soul- sleepers, and 
generally believe in the pernicious error, namely, the annihila- 
tion of the wicked. A pleasing thought no doubt to the workers 
of iniquity, as they shall escape the punishment due to their 
iniquities. This is about as dangerous a doctrine as the new 
school theology of reformatory punishment, namely, that God 
is so good and so full of universal benevolence, that He cannot 
consistently, with His attribute of mercy, consign His creatures 
to everlasting punishment. It is true that God is full of love 
and tender mercy ; but He never appeared as a merciful God 
excepting through a mediator. He can only be just, and the 
justifier of those alone who believe in Jesus. " Neither is there 
salvation in any other, for there is no other name given under 
Heaven or among men whereby we can be saved, but by the 
name of Jesus." To those, we believe, He is precious at the 
hour of death. It is then the believer is ushered into the pres- 
ence of the King eternal, immortal, and invisible. In view of the 
greatness and glory of the transition from earth to Heaven, the 
Apostle exclaimed, " I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ, 
which is far better." For it is then that we really begin to live ; 
now we see through a glass darkly; now we know only in part, but 
then, oh, what a change, " Beyond the smiling and the weeping." 

" Let not your heart be troubled," said Jesus; " in my Father's 
house are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told 
you, I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a 
place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself, that 
where I am there ye may be also." It is for these mansions we 
were begotten. "Heirs to an inheritance that is incorruptible, 
undefiled, and fadeth not away." 



Asleep in Jesus. 



255 



Sister Knowles had the blest assurance of this Heavenly home, 
she knew this assurance was attainable, and on earth she en- 
joyed it, and now she is reaping the rich reward, and its innum- 
erable and unutterable advantages. In her dying hour she could 
triumphantly exclaim, with Simeon in the temple, " Now lettest 
thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy 
salvation." And, like Moses, her eye was not dimmed, nor her 
natural force abated. Oh ! the gain, the bliss of thus dying. 

Heaven as our home is worthy our deepest contemplation. 
''It doth not yet appear what we shall be." It is a place of 
perfect rest. Oh, how comforting is this thought to the poor, 
way-worn, .toiling pilgrim. 

Oh, land of rest for thee I sigh ! 

The important discovery of this land of rest will nerve our arm 
for the great conflict of life. It will inspire us to work more ear- 
nestly and more incessantly for Jesus. It will sweeten every 
bitter cup of trial and tribulation that we have to encounter here 
below. It will distil a desire and a loftiness of aim in life, that 
we may at last rer.ch the rest that remains for the people of God, 
The struggle with inbred sin will be more easily overcome, 
and every lust and evil passion will be completely conquered 
by keeping the eye steadily fixed on those glittering mansions, 

Where the wicked cease from troubling, 
And the weary are at rest. 

Christ Himself will administer this rest to the believer 
in the Heavenly Kingdom. Just as He is the source of peace 
and quiet here on earth, so is He at this moment surrounded 
with the saints triumphant in glory, imparting perpetual peace 
in the paradise of God to all the bright spirits who loved Him 
on earth, and kept His commandments. Yonder they enjoy 
eternal Sabbathism. 

Let us fear, therefore, lest haply a promise being left of enter- 
ing into rest, any of you should seem to come short of it 



256 



Gathering Jewels. 



through unbelief. For indeed we have good tidings preached 
unto us, and we which believe do enter into that rest. 

Alford, in speaking of the rest on earth that resembles the 
rest of Heaven, says : " Our Lord does not promise (here below) 
freedom from toil or burdens, but rest to the soul." The rest 
and joy of the Christian soul is to become like Christ. To 
the young men, who surrounded her dying couch, she said : 
" Avoid bad company, learn of Christ ; seek to be like Him, little 
by little." It is no wonder King David said, "As for me I 
will behold Thy face in righteousness ; I shall be satisfied when 
I awake with Thy likeness." 

But we are to behold the royal dignity of the Redeemer, and 
be brought forth into a large place because He delighted in us. 
Yes ! to die is gain. Oh ! wondrous change : To behold His 
illimitable power and partake of His consummate wisdom and 
knowledge. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I 
seek after ; " that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the 
days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to in- 
quire in His temple, for in the time of trouble He shall hide me 
in His pavilion. The Christian is secure at death ; he has a 
building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the 
Heavens." 

Here we have a continual conflict ; but yonder we are made 
more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Here we 
are sinful and short-sighted ; but yonder we shall partake of 
His perfect holiness^ and inexhaustible love and Divine pene- 
tration in the Heavenly Kingdom. Yes to die is infinite gain. 

The spiritual enjoyment of the soul in the land of light is 
indescribable. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have 
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath pre- 
pared for them that love Him." Yonder you shall behold*the 
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

You know this was a portion of the parting prayer of Jesus 
for His disciples. He said : " Father,.! will that they also, whom 



Asleep in Jesus. 



257 



Thou hast given me, be with me where I am ; that they may be- 
hold my glory." There is but a step between us and it. There 
is but a thin veil that parts us from the beatic vision of the 
blest. , 

I once entered the beautiful harbor of Cronstadt, in Russia, 
and I distinctly remember that the entrance was so narrow 
and land-locked, that we could scarcely discern its precise lo- 
cation until we had suddenly entered it. The passage from 
earth to Heaven is not unlike the ending of the voyage of 
a ship, even although many of them reach the harbor in a dis- 
mantled condition. Many a storm has been encountered, and 
while sails have been torn to shreds, yet the gallant bark has 
outweathered the gale and has escaped rocks, and quicksands, 
and whirlpools of destruction. But now the gale is hushed for- 
ever, the sails are all furled, the anchor is cast out, and she rides 
securely in the harbor where storms cannot affright. Glorious 
port of peace ! Oh, blessed and triumphant entry ! To go no 
more out forever ; where the Lamb which is in the midst of 
the throne shall feed them and lead them unto living fountains of 
water, and God Himself shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 

Beautiful valley of Eden, 

Sweet is thy noon-tide calm, 
Over the hearts of the weary, 

Breathing thy waves of balm. 
Home of the pure and blest ; 

How often amid the wild billows, 
I dream of thy rest, sweet rest. 

It was the glimpse of this rest beyond the river that lit up 
the pale cheek of our dear, dying sister, with seraphic brightness 
and beauty. 

" All my fountains are in thee," said the Psalmist. God is 
the author of holiness. In John's vision of Heaven, he de- 
scribes the four living creatures, having each of them six wings, 



Gathering Jewels. 



round about and within, and they have no rest day and night, 
saying, " Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and 
is, and is to come." 

The great object therefore of the Gospel of the blessed God 
is to transform us into the Divine image. Another of our sister's 
dying utterances was very forcible, "Now I have got to the edge 
of the river'' 

" Only just across the river, 
Over on the other side." 

We all with open face beholding as in a mirror, the glory 
of the Lord, are changed into the same image. 

It is thus God's people become meet for the holy inheritance. 
Here we have to cry out, " Oh, wretched man, who shall deliver 
me from the body of this death ; " yonder the Spirit's work has 
gloriously triumphed. The believer's holiness is effectually 
accomplished in Heaven. Blessed are they that wash their 
robes, that they may have the right to come to the tree of life 
and may enter in by the pearly gates into the city. 

Heaven is called the land of light. What is light ? " Hail, 
holy light, offspring of Heaven's first-born." Light is pure. 
"God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. Darkness, in 
God's Word, is an emblem of sin. They love darkness rather 
than light, because their deeds are evil, and every one that doeth 
evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds 
should be reproved." — John iii. 19-20. 

The more we increase in the likeness of God, the greater and 
stronger will our light shine in this dark world, and the more 
will we enjoy basking in the sunshine of the light of His coun- 
tenance. We are partakers now of the Divine nature, but in 
Heaven we shall continually walk before Him who is the en- 
lightener and the light. Oh, the gain, the bliss of dying ! For 
we shall see His face and His name shall be in our foreheads. 

Paul's prayer for the church at Colosse was " that they might 



Asleep in Jesus. 



2 59 



be filled with the knowledge of His will, increasing in the 
knowledge of God, giving thanks unto the Father, who made 
us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." 
— Col. i. 12. 

Oh, that a view of the pure, and the great, and the good ones 
around the throne may be as a golden chain to bind our hearts 
to that home beyond the skies, where there is no night, and they 
need no candle, neither light of the sun ; for the Lord God giveth 
them light, and they shall reign forever and ever. — Rev. xxii. 5. 

Dearly beloved, this is the k ' Night of Weeping ; " but oh, 
remember, that it is written in His Holy Word that God shall 
wipe away all tears from their eyes ; and there shall be no more 
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any 
more pain. 

As we stand by the bedside of our loved ones, and watch 
them wasting away with disease, and as we behold their love, 
their patience, and Christian fortitude, we think of earth's bitter 
trials and earthly relationship, and of the strong tie that binds 
heart to heart. How touching the parting words to her only 
son she so tenderly loved, " Be faithful, humble, meek, and eon- 
stantly keep at the Master s feet, until He ealls you up higher . Be 
kind and gentle to your sister Esther." To her Pastor she said: 
" Preach the Gospel uncolored!" We look upon the sinking 
form of a dear wife and mother, or brother, or sister, or hus- 
band, or friend, and as we sadly muse upon the fact that we held 
sweet counsel together and walked to the House of God in 
company ; and we softly whisper to the physician is there no 
hope of recovery ? Can you not save that young and precious 
life, so dear to us, so gentle, so loving, so kind, so sympathetic, 
so hopeful ? And as in response to our inquiry, we receive the 
look of pity, and the sorrowful shake of the head, it is then, 
in our deepest agony, amid blinding tears, and hearts almost 
crushed to despair, we turn to our -great Father above, and we 
ask, why must we part ? Oh, God, can you not spare him ? 
How can I live without him ? 



260 



Gathering Jewels. 



Providential bereavements are sad scenes in life, for the scythe 
of death stops not to ask if they be sweet and precious to some 
fond wife, or mother, or brother, who knows? whom their heart 
chose. On ! on ! he pursues his desolating work, amid their 
sighs, their cries, and tears. 

But beloved, there is no tearing of heart from heart in Heaven. 
There is no death there ; there is no sorrow there ; there is. no 
sin there. I often think of the words of the Apostle as 
peculiarly appropriate to us in the hour of sad bereavement : 
" These light afflictions are but for a moment, but they work 
out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." 

I have had persons tell me when God has suddenly removed 
loved ones from their midst, that God had forsaken them, that 
He had forgotten to be gracious. But ah, to such let me say 
that the Lord loveth whom He chasteneth. God is love. Like 
as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that 
fear Him. 

But what is the object God has in view in thus breaking the 
family circle by death ? It is that our attention may be attracted 
to the saints above, and that we may by faith behold the beauties 
of the Celestial city. 

You know, David says, " It was good for me that I was af- 
flicted ; before I was afflicted, I went astray." We not unfre- 
quently forget that this is not our home. But that we are 
strangers and pilgrims on the earth. God has to put us in 
remembrance of it. Beautiful as this world is, there is a fairer 
and brighter, and infinitely more lovely world above our heads. 
Lovely as human friendships and fellowships are here below, 
what are they in comparison to the felicitous'condition of society 
in heaven ? 

" I would not live alway, I ask not to stay, 
Where storm after storm rises dark o'er the way." 

There are no estranged feelings in heaven. There are no mis- 



Asleep in Jesus. 



261 



understandings there. No sickness there. All, all is peace and 
joy and love ! 

Our faith in God, and in the existence of Heaven, and the 
possibilities of the future life, can enable us to triumph over 
the trials and bereavements in this vale of tears. 

Dr. Guthrie asks : "Why should we not lie as calmly in the 
arms of God's Providence, as we lay in infancy on a mother's 
breast ? Having an ever-living, an everlasting, an ever-loving 
Father in God, how may we welcome all providences, sweetly 
submissive to the will of God. Shall it not fare with us as with 
the pliant reeds that love the hollows and fringe the margin 
of the lake, and bending to the blast, not resisting it, raise their 
heads anew, unharmed by the storm that has snapped the moun- 
tain's pine and rent the hearts of oaks asunder." " All things 
work together for good to them that love God ; them who are 
the called according to His purpose." 

When John was in the spirit on the Lord's Day, he heard a 
great voice saying, " He that hath an ear,' let him hear what the 
spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I 
give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white 
stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man 
knoweth save he that receiveth it." 

How can we best overcome the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of 
the eye, and the pride of life but by deep and continued medi- 
tation on the blessed change that takes place at the hour of 
death. The shadows of earth are instantly dispelled when we 
set our affections on things above. 

" Who are these arrayed in white robes, and whence came 
they? These are they who have come out of great tribulation, 
and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood 
of the Lamb." I remember once standing at the grave of 
Richard Cameron, in Ayrs Moss, and as I read the names of 
other martyrs engraved on the tomb-stone, I thought of the 
general assembly of the Church of the first-born in Heaven, and 



262 



Gathering Jewels. 



as I read God's Word there and sang a sweet Psalm of praise to 
Jehovah, and offered a prayer to the Father of lights, the God 
of Israel, I thought of the prayer of Peden, the prophet, as he sat 
on Cameron's grave. Lifting up his eyes steadfastly to Heaven, 
he prayed : " Oh, to be wi' Ritchie ! " 

" Often at the shades of evening, 
When I sit me down to rest, 
One by one, I count them over, 
They who are in glory blest." 

Dearly beloved, I have a Ritchie* in Heaven, for I have re- 
cently learned of the death of the spiritual guide of my youth, 
who, in years gone by, at the close of a cottage prayer-meeting, 
requested me, for the first time in my life, to speak a word for 
Jesus. Pulling a flower from the hill-side, he said as he held it 
up, "I can see God in that gowan." Taking me to his room, 
he said, " This is my study ; these are my books, I am going to 
be a minister of the Gospel, and then go to China." 

Handing me a neat, little, precious volume, he said, " Take 
this book and study it, and commence speaking for Jesus, and 
help me in my meetings." Surely to such to die is gain. 

Who ; who, would live alway away from his God — away from 
yonder Heaven, that blissful abode where the noontide of glory 
eternally reigns, and the smile of the Lord is the feast of the 
soul ? 

Dearly beloved, we may well ask, " Who are these arrayed in 
white robes ? " Oh, what celebrated personages are above ! 
The prophets, the apostles, the reformers, and the martyrs of 
Scotland are there. For in a dream of the night I was wafted 
away to the moorland and moss, where the martyrs lay. When 
the minister's home was the mountain and flood. When they 
dared not worship God in daylight. Only at the dead of night, 



* The late Rev. Hugh Ritchie, of Formosa, China. 



Asleep in Jesus. 



263 



when the wintry winds raved fierce, and the thunder-peal com- 
pelled the men of blood to crouch within their den. Then the 
faithful few — true followers of the blessed Jesus — would venture 
forth to some deep dell by the rock o'er canopied ; then, amid 
the glare of sheeted lightning, those men of God would open the 
sacred Book and words of comfort speak. Ah, it cost something 
to be a Christian in those days, when from the high foaming crest 
of Solway to the smoothly polished breast of Loch Katrine, not 
a river nor a lake but has swelled with the life's tide of religious 
freedom. From the bonnie highland heather of her lofty sum- 
mits to the modest gowan on the lea, not a flower but has 
blushed with the martyr's blood. But, beloved, the blood of 
the martyrs was the seed of the Church. What holy, loving 
lessons does God teach us by the history of the true Church, 
and a thoroughly consecrated people — lessons of love, hope, 
fortitude, and long-suffering ! 

14 Oh, Jesus, our Master, command to beat faster 
These weary life-pulses that bring us to Thee." 

Our dear departed sister had the true missionary spirit. She 
feared not the things she was called on to suffer for Christ in 
her great work in this city. Let us who are left behind catch 
her magnanimous and heroic disposition in working for the 
blessed Jesus. Oh, that the spirit of our noble ancestry might 
come upon us! Oh, that the Holy Spirit of God may enter into 
all our hearts to-day, that we may be more humble, more loving, 
more zealous, more sympathetic, and more sincere in our toil 
for Christ and His Church ; then to die will be gain I and to Him 
shall be all the glory, world without end. Amen. 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



TESTIMONIALS AND LETTERS OF CONDOLENCE. 

I've found a Friend ; oh, such a Friend ! 

So kind, and true, and tender, 

So wise a Counsellor and guide, 

So mighty a Defender! 

From him, who loves me now so well, 

What power my love can sever ? 

Shall life, or death, or earth, or hell ? 

No, I am his forever. 

The following resolutions and letters furnish, in a pre-eminent 
degree, conclusive evidence of the high estimation in which His 
servant and handmaiden were held by ministers, elders, and 
Sabbath-school workers generally : 

New York, January 12, 1869. 

Mrs. James Knowles : 

My Dear Friend — At the Annual Meeting of the Teachers' 
Association of the Sabbath-school of the Ebenezer Presbyterian 
Church, held last evening, the following action was taken : 

" On motion, the cordial thanks of this Association are voted 
to Mrs. James Knowles for her faithful labors in behalf of our 
School during the past year." 

The following extract from the Annual Report was also 
ordered to be forwarded with the foregoing : 

" Mention must be made of one of our own church members, 
Mrs. Knowles, who has labored most devotedly for our School. 
In behalf of the School, the Superintendent would take this 
way of expressing our gratitude for her cheerful, earnest, and 
persevering labor. She has taken a deep interest in our School, 
and has shown it by hard work in its behalf." 



Testimonials and Letters of Condolence. 



265 



I am very glad that the pleasant duty of making you ac- 
quainted with this action has been imposed upon me. Without 
your help I would oftentimes during the past year have been 
very much discouraged. Your readiness for Christian work, 
andy our tho roughness in it, have both cheered and satisfied me. 
May you fully realize the promise given to those who are always 
abounding in the work of the Lord. (1 Cor. xv. 58.) And may 
the present year show us a continuance of your willing labors 
and be marked by a stronger faith in expectation and more 
new-born souls, as your joy and crown in realization. (Psalm 
cxxvi. 5-6.) 

Respectfully yours in the Master, 

Samuel B. W. McKee, 

Superintendent. 

When we take into consideration the time that elapsed be- 
tween the penning of the foregoing resolutions as no vain and 
unmeaning compliment, and the departure of her concerning 
whom they were voted upon, we are led to see the impor- 
tance of those words in the Apocalypse : "He that is faithful 
unto death shall receive a crown of eternal life." How signifi- 
cant are the words employed to denote their hearty apprecia- 
tion of her worth. "We express our gratitude for her cheerful, 
earnest, and persevering labor. She has taken a deep interest in 
our School and has shown it by hard work" etc. 

We trust that our Sunday-school workers may be greatly en- 
couraged to go and do likewise through a careful and prayerful 
examination of the above communication. 

The following additional affectionate and deeply instructive 
tribute to her worth to the church and Sabbath-school is from 
one who was her beloved pastor for seven years — years of pure 
and uninterrupted Christian fellowship and disinterested de- 
votedness to the cause of Christ. 



266 



Gathering Jewels. 



Utica, N. Y., November 8, 1886. 

Rev. Duncan M. Young : 

Dear Brother — In the removal of Mr. and Mrs. James 
Knowles we sustain a personal loss. The fact was unknown to 
us previous to your letter. To enjoy such friendship as they 
admitted us into from our first acquaintance, was not unlike a 
continuous salutation with the impressiveness of an unqualified 
good-will. Heaven is indeed richer for their entrance, and by 
so much is increasingly endeared unto us. 

They were not time-servers, but, in no mere sentimental sense, 
God-servers. The feverish world, greedy and rushing, will know 
little of their value, nor miss their humble crafts so quickly 
trackless, and yet they really laid the world under obligation. 
If its life, and aim, and effort were not purer and higher, it was 
in spite of their actual godliness, at all times apparent. 

My first introduction to Mrs. Knowles was on the first Sabbath 
in February, 1874 ; also, my first acquaintance with the Allen 
Street Church. Mrs. Knowles was then teaching in the Ludlow 
Street Mission. As a teacher, she was simple, fearless, and 
Scriptural. Her ruling passion, perhaps, was a desire to be use- 
ful in some way, adjusting herself with good grace to the 
requirements of advancing years. If just a little disturbed at 
the thought that she must contract her labors, or " hold up " at 
some point, the spirit was ever the same, perhaps too exacting 
of a body not excessively vigorous. 

As a " Bible reader'' she did some of her best work, and 
made her greatest sacrifices. Faithfulness characterized her 
covenant relation — seldom absent from the scenes of public 
worship ; and the more remarkable in view of her untiring zeal 
and devotion in her specially God-given calling. Many will rise 
up and call her blessed, because, so true of her, "she went about 
doing good." My own indebtedness to her, as a pastor, was 
great. Her sympathy with the ministry seemed innate. Full of 
faith, and rich in peculiar experience, she was the one "to step 



Testimonials and Letters of Condolence. 



267 



in " at the minister's for a half-hour ; and here, incidentally, I 
may say, that her practical views of life and knowledge of 
human ways turned to my advantage on repeated occasions, 
whenever she reported a case as worthy or unworthy. When 
an application for aid or comfort required investigation — that 
is. ultimate cases requiring delicate, careful treatment, often 
impossible for the pastor to do — her feminine instinct and sagac- 
ity of experience took it in hand with a readiness that was 
surprising, in view of her always full hands. A gentle, trustful 
soul, a frank, unwavering friend, a pious, useful woman, and a 
faithful wife and mother, her rest will be sweet. 

If the beginning of my acquaintance with her companion 
dates somewhat later, it ripened early, I suppose mutually so, 
into a strong attachment. Integrity of character was my first 
impression of the man ; whether an instinct or a judgment, there 
never was a doubt as to its correctness. Strong in faith, also — 
the old-time faith, of apostolic color, for he took no pleasure in 
u new departures." Sound in doctrine, fervent in spirit, wise in 
council, stable in action, he was truly a strong " pillar in the 
house of the Lord." If he wrought obscurely, as the world 
moves, my impression is that he did some excellent work for 
eternity in the most quiet sort of way. I do not think Heaven 
could be a surprise to one of his habits and trend of life. He 
could assimilate the good easily. Though positive in his feel- 
ings, and sensitive of attachment, he was no mere man-worship- 
per, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, so long as it was the 
Word of Christ, faithfully, earnestly preached ; he was a re- 
sponsive hearer. The chief desire was that the word should be 
successful. Perhaps simplicity was as characteristic as any other 
distinct trait. If he did not choose the uppermost seats he 
occupied them becomingly when once bidden to take them. 

I remember him not so much by means of incidents — his life 
was not formed on that plan; but by the deep impression of 
genuine, unpretentious godliness. 



268 



Gathering Jewels, 



If I have written at too great length, my heart is full. In 
deep sympathy with those who will so surely mourn their loss, 
and grateful for the privilege of a tribute, I am, 

Sincerely yours, 

George O. Phelps, 

An Ex-Pastor. 



The mere I read and study the phraseology of this letter, 
welling up out of a full heart, the more I am convinced of 
its adaptedness to impart encouragement to others the same 
in kind and degree as was doubtless reciprocally experienced in 
days of yore, " for as iron sharpeneth iron, so does the counte- 
nance of man his friend." 

Here is another tender and terse tribute from the same source 
to their only son— the request for particulars regarding their last 
illness, which produced the leaflet entitled " A Short Account of 
the Last Hours " — that has been already a rich spiritual bless- 
ing to many souls. 

Utica, N. Y., November, 1886. 

Mr. Wm. Knowles : 

Dear Brother — We have just learned of the departure of 
your dear parents. Our attachment to them was exceptionally 
strong, even as our association in the Master's work was inti- 
mate. 

I have been looking over your father's letters, too few in 
numbers ; how full of human kindness, how intensely godly. 

Be assured of our sincere regard for you and others in this 
great bereavement. 

May we not receive, at your convenience, particulars of their 
last illness and going ? We have no knowledge of either case. 

Very sincerely yours, 

, George O, Phelps. 



Testimonials and Letters of Condolence. 



The subjoined is the answer to the reception of the account 
of their last hours on earth. 

Utica, N. Y., November 30, 1886. 

Mr. Wm. Knowles : 

My Dear Sir and Brother — You have laid us under great 
obligation by your lengthy and painstaking statement respecting 
your lamented parents. Seldom have we been affected so deeply 
as in the reading of it, which came so appropriately as to time and 
feeling, just as we were closing one of the sweetest meetings of 
our little " Gospel Bandy Yes, truly, those dear, true friends 
of ours were as " little children " in " the Kingdom of Heaven." 

Nothing would afford me greater satisfaction than to be able 
to add further by word or incident what you desire to gather up 
by way of a grateful memorial. As I stated in my letter to Mr. 
Young, my impressions were made by their uniform consistency 
of character, and not by any particular event or circumstance- 
Perhaps the enclosed letters will afford characteristic illustration 
of your father's habitual godliness or tenor of life. As to your 
mother, why, she was always " going about doing good," seem- 
ingly never tiring. 

What death-bed scenes ! If those faithful words of hers are 
ever forgotten, somebody will have a hard witness against them 
at last. Their memory is indeed blessed. We will all try to 
profit by their examples of godly fidelity, and faithful admo- 
nitions. With the sincerest sympathy, I am, 

Gratefully yours, 

George O. Phelps. 



Utica, N. Y., February 17, 1887. 

Mr. Wm. Knowles : 

Dear Brother — You have laid us under new obligations. 
On my study table is a picture of the pastor of my childhood — ■ 



/ 

270 



Gathering Jewels. 



It has been there nearly my entire ministry. You can conceive 
the influence it is designed to exert over me. Now there will 
be, if not in my study exclusively, in our house itself, the con- 
stant stimulus of such reminders of devotion as these two most 
welcome pictures. 

We are indeed very grateful to you for them; your filial love 
was strong while they lived, and must be quickened by their 
death, but if anybody outside of the circle of kindred exceeds 
our veneration for your parents, they deserve it all. We certainly 
cannot fail to cherish what has been so well done by the artist, 
the expression in both pictures is so characteristic. It seems, 
when we dwell intently upon them and let thoughts come and 
go at liberty, that the lips must open and pleasant words come 
from them as in life ; but they do speak, nevertheless, and as 
distinctly, and as affectionately. Oh ! that we were more worthy 
to hear. And that blessing upon yourself, how valuable and 
hopeful, or encouraging it must be. 

I know you will share it with others, and so make a saintly 
life still reproductive. The world needs nothing so much as 
positive Christian character. 

Permit me to say that we are greatly prospered in our work, 
and have hand and heart seemingly full ; but, old Allen Street 
has a warm place in our affection always. Our united regards. 

Affectionately yours, 

George O. Phelps. 



The reader will surely notice the true, touching, and graphic 
account of their work in the next letter. 

Utica, N. Y., April 8, 1887. 

Rev. Mr. Young : 

Dear Sir and Brother — While my mind is full of im- 
pressions concerning the life and work of Mr. and Mrs, Knowles, 



Testimonials and Letters of Condolence. 



271 



it is not easy to withdraw the details, and give you any real sat- 
isfaction. The very simplicity and humility of their ways and 
deeds render it impossible to make any adequate illustration — 
not that incidents are lacking. Why, there are families in the 
vicinity of Allen Street who could relate incidents by the hour 
touching the gentle care of Mrs. Knowles for the needy and sick. 

Here her life can never be written in full. " Oh, Mr. Phelps, 

how sad it is about Mrs. K and her little family." "Poor 

L , she is going just like her brother, and they don't want me 

to tell her of our fears." " I have just been to see poor Mr. 

H , he cannot live — he doesn't seem to realize it ; and then 

what will become of his family ? I have tried so long to get them 

into the Sabbath-school." " I have just come from Mrs. F (a 

woman of means and Christian charity), who encouraged me 
greatly in the care of that family where the father is in the hos- 
pital." " Mr. Phelps, can you go to No. 12 Street, and see a 

young man who is sick, and will have to go to the hospital ? 
No friends, and I have been trying to make him comfortable." 

" Mr. Phelps, can you attend the funeral of a child on Street ? 

It did suffer so much — its mother is on the Island." 

These were common to her work, as I now recall them ; not 
sentimental products of imagination, but facts, only lacking the 
details to make the tenor of her life stranger than fiction. 
To see her quietly enter some abode of the lowly, her soft and 
gentle greeting to the housewife engaged in her home duties, 
the aspect, perhaps, a forlorn one, and hear her words of heart- 
felt sympathy and encouragement, her solicitude for the little 
ones, that they might be "trained in the way of the Lord," 
and that simple, fervent, trustful prayer, which seems so befitting 
as to excite no repellant feeling ; and that parting word which 
would go straight to the mother-heart. Here is a picture of 
Christian -following which even Munkacsy could not paint. 

The Master reserves some things for future inspection. We 
have no sufficient canvas for these in such humble, useful lives. 



272 



Gathering Jewels. 



Her faithfulness in dealing with the erring was remarkable ; 
seemingly without fear of man, and yet always full of gentleness. 

We had a way of investigating cases appealing for charity. 
One day a girl, nine or ten years of age, came to the door with 
a basket asking for something ; her mother was a widow and 
poor, baby sick, etc., etc. 

We asked Mrs. Knowles to look into the case. She went to 
the place given, and at first there was some mistake, or, perhaps, 
a purposed misdirection ; but, nothing daunted by the difficul- 
ties encountered, she succeeded in gaining admittance to apart- 
ments on the second floor, where, instead of poverty and 
sickness, she found the mother in the midst of evident comfort, 
-seated at her piano, who at first denied all knowledge of the 
little charity girl, and was only confronted successfully by the 
entrance unguardedly of the child herself. 

If confusion ever overtook a mortal fraud, in which an active 
apprehension and deep humiliation were successfully involved? 
it was then and there in the presence of holy in dignation on fire, 
Mrs. Knowles was simply irresistible in such cases. 

Now, dear brother, I hardly know what use you can possibly 
make of this, but my prayers shall go with your work^of per- 
petuating their memory. 

Very sincerely yours, 

George O. Phelps 



The thought that the servants of Christ are praying for us 
is very cheering in the prosecution of our work. 

The facts enumerated in the following letter from Pastor 
Chambers contain a thousand thoughts as descriptive of what 
every Christian ought to pray for and strive after, namely, to be, 
as he expresses it, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile. 

How expressive in this connection are the words of the 
apostle, u Take heed lest there be found in any of you an evil 
heart of unbelief in departing from the living God," 



Testimonials and Letters of Condolence. 



273 



New York, November 9, 1886. 

Rev. D. McNeill Young : 

Dear Brother — Your letter informing me of the death of 
Mr. and Mrs. Knowles was forwarded to me from Harrisburg, 
to this city. 

I had seen a notice of Mr. Knowles' death in a New York 
paper, but had not known of the departure of his wife, whose 
death, under such circumstances, had a pathos peculiar to itself. 
Her presence at his funeral, it would seem, was more than her 
affectionate testimony to their past devotion to each other. It 
was her unconscious prophecy of their speedy reunion in the 
presence of Him whom they both loved and served. 

You ask me for some information in regard to them, during 
the time of my ministry in this cily. They both illustrated the 
truth of the remark, that " to be useful, it is not necessary to be 
conspicuous." Mr. Knowles was "an Israelite indeed, in whom 
was no guile." Gentle and peaceable in spirit, loving the 
house of God, rejoicing in the spiritual prosperity of the church, 
speaking evil of no man, a firm friend of his minister, relishing all 
conversation upon divine things, frequenting the place of prayer 
where he was often heard leading the devotions of the people 
in simple, earnest, Scriptural petition, and ever willing to help 
in Sabbath-school work, or any other form of Christian activity 
in which he might be of service — he was just such a man as 
any pastor is glad to have as a friend and helper. He was a 
ruling elder in the church from the time I first knew him, and 
in that capacity was one of the first to welcome me to New 
York. ' He was unobtrusive in all meetings of session, but 
never failed to give his suggestions on all matters that came 
before him, but was happiest when it was his privilege as an 
elder to welcome to the communion of the church those who 
confessed Christ. 

Mrs. Knowles I knew as a warm friend of the church, while 
at the same time a faithful member of that band of Bible read- 



274 



Gathering Jewels. 



ers whose blessed work is best known by the Divine Master. 
She enjoyed that service for Christ; she loved to talk about it. 
Her fidelity and consecration are known to those under whose 
superintendence she labored ; but the results of her devotion 
are a matter of divine record. May it not be that she has now 
discovered the real dignity and the glorious consequences of a 
service which she humbly, yet lovingly followed here, and that 
in Heaven's high fellowship the faithful Bible reader has a place 
of peculiar honor ? 

I can only say, in conclusion, that a church is bereaved indeed 
when two such Christians are taken from it. The Providence 
that calls them away should not only stimulate those who re- 
main to a holier activity J but should also elevate our thoughts 
and affections, and make us the more glad that at the end of 
our journey, and the cessation of our earthly activities, we will 
discover the still grander meaning of Christ and Heaven. 

Yours fraternally, 

George S. Chambers. 



The next letter is from one who materially aided her in help- 
ing the necessitous. 

November 21, 1886. 

Rev. Duncan McNeill Young : 

Dear Sir — Absence from the city has prevented my answer- 
ing your kind note received only last evening. 

I have no statistical facts to give you, relative to our dear 
Mrs. Knowles, but I can testify to her interest in her work until 
the last, her lovely Christian spirit shown under all circum- 
stances, and her love for her Heavenly Father. 

She seemed to me to be supremely happy and content with 
whatever lot was given her. 

I was not able to be with her when she was ill, but was at her 
funeral. 



Testimonials and Letters of Condolence. 



275 



She must be missed in her field of labor, and I am sure I shall 
miss her prayers for myself. 

Hoping this will be of some use to you, I am, 

Yours sincerely, 

M. T. Fiskk. 



The annexed note of commendation from the Rev. Dr. Conk- 
ling, of this city, who formerly labored in word and doctrine 
with the deceased, in connection with the Allen Street Church, 
is concise yet comprehensive. How much is implied in these 
words — faithful, loving, earnest, prayerful and consistent Chris- 
tians ! 

New York City, November, 1886. 

Dear Mr. Young — My acquaintance with Mr. and Mrs. 
Knowles was so limited that my knowledge of them could be 
only of the most general character. I knew them, as all who 
knew them could testify, as earnest, loving Christians, faithful 
in their church duties, prayerful and consistent ; and evidently 
living always near to Christ. I prized their friendship much ; 
I feel how deep the loss to the church must be in being 
deprived of their active influence and their believing prayers. 

With thanks for your kindly note, conveying the sacred re- 
quest, I remain, dear sir, 

Sincerely yours, 

Nath'l W. Conkling. 



To show how greatly beloved they were by all denominations 
we insert this closing tribute from a dear servant of Christ, 



276 



Gathering Jeivels. 



whose calm, clear eye of penetration recognized that, by pray- 
erfully studying the character of Christ we became assimilated 
to His glorious image. He is a member of the Society of 
Friends. 

Clintondale, N. Y., June 23, 1887. 

Duncan M. Young : 

Dear Brother — Yours received, bearing us news indeed. 
We had not heard before of the demise of our dear Brother 
and Sister Knowles. 

The effect of it at first, to me, was that I could scarcely speak 
for a fulness of feeling which it produced, and a home-sickness 
for the home where they have gone. 

My memory was immediately taken back to the visit I paid 
them a year ago last spring, which was very pleasant and soul- 
refreshing, and especially to the parting kiss that the dear Mother 
in Israel gave me on my parting from them ; and also she gave 
me a supply of beautiful tracts, which I had the privilege of using 
to the comfort of two souls on the cars as I was returning home, 
and some of the tracts I have yet, and you can depend on it 
I place higher value on them than ever before. 

The little leaflet you sent us is very appropriate indeed, but 
none can do them justice in writing of them, for we do 
not know of all their heart-yearnings and achings over poor 
wanderers, and their personal private labors for their salvation, 
neither can we ever know until we see the record of it all up 
there. 

And may you, dear Brother, as the honored minister of 
God, carry out literally her exhortation to you, " Preach the 
Gospel Uncolored." 

Accept my sincere thanks for your kindness in writing us, 
and sending the leaflets. You asked if I could use any of them ? 
I can, certainly, and there are a few around here yet living who 
remember our departed sister and brother when they boarded at 
our house. 



Testimonials and Letters cf Condolence. 



277 



I unite in interest and prayer with you for your important 
work in the abundant ripe fields of Harvest, and pray that you 
will receive many souls for your hire. 

I am, yours sincerely, and in the love of the pure Gospel of 
the Kingdom of our Christ, 

Erastus S. Andrews. 



" They lived, and they were useful ; this we know. 
Oh, take who will the boon of fading fame ! 

But give to me 
A place among the workers, though my name 

Forgotten be, 
And if within the book of life is found 

My lowly place, 
Honor and glory unto God redound 

For all His grace !" 



CHAPTER XXXVII. 



CONCLUSION. 

Oh, could I flow like thee, and make thy stream 
My great example, as it is my theme ! 
Though deep, yet clear ; though gentle, yet net dull ; 
Strong without rage ; without o'erflowing full. 

In concluding these memoirs and looking back over the lives 
of our departed brother and sister, there is a great lesson to be 
learned — that of example. Such example as theirs possesses in- 
calculable power of effecting good. It takes deep and tena- 
cious root ; it fructifies with amazing rapidity and profusion, 
and nourishes where precept would utterly perish. Its impres- 
sion is so indelible, that the greatest difficulty is experienced 
when attempting to eradicate it. The salutary influence which 
good example propagates, we find stamped on every avocation 
in life. In some people a heinous negligence, and in others a 
culpable apathy is evinced with respect to the principles their 
conduct is implanting. Profuse illustrations abound in every 
profession, calling, and trade, of the effect of evil example, and 
also of the disregard paid to its consequences. Whether or not 
this regardlessness arises from negligence, or ignorance, it is 
difficult to determine. All classes of society possess, undoubt- 
edly, though in varying degrees, the important power of exem- 
plifying good or evil, and it behooves them to act with greater 
circumspection and discretion with respect to the injurious con- 
sequences which their examples may evoke, having due regard 
to the avidity which is shown by weak minds to follow example, 
however pernicious. It is natural for man to imitate a model or 
pattern, as it thereby affords him a much easier and more agree- 



Conclusion. 



able opportunity of forming his ideas on any particular subject. 
Nor is example confined to those holding high public positions. 
Its presence and power are experienced as much from the hum- 
blest Bible woman as from the greatest shining light in the 
pulpit. I admit that influence, good or evil, is propagated to a 
greater extent when the source from which it emanates is more 
prominently before the gaze of the world than if it were less 
public ; but I am persuaded that the closer the relationship be- 
tween the one who exerts the influence and the one upon whom 
it takes effect, the more deep and lasting will the impression 
prove, and any endeavors to eradicate it will involve more stren- 
uous efforts and diligent application than where there is no 
sympathetic feeling evinced by the one toward the other. 

The implicitness with which example is followed is subject to 
considerable variations, for I am inclined to think that the lower 
the moral position the greater the aptitude for imitation is dis- 
played. This arises from the incapability of those who occupy 
such positions to tear asunder the forms which envelope them, 
and strike a path untrodden for themselves. They find it much 
more congenial to their tastes and pursuits to act as others 
around them usually do than to alienate themselves and en- 
deavor to live more in accordance with the laws of morality. No 
one can deny, especially those who knew her well, that Mrs. 
Knowles's great success was as much derived from her example 
and humility as from any power of teaching and persuasion she 
possessed. And now, dear readers, those of you who have not 
the gift of leading others into the paths of virtue and morality 
by the gift of ready speech or the force of your conversation 
and address, can at least so regulate your conduct that the little 
world around you may look up to you as an example, however 
humble your position in it may be. 

There are lesser lights along the iron-bound coast of Eng- 
land than the Eddystone ; still they serve the purpose for which 
they were erected. Yea, the widow's lamp, in the window of the 



280 



Gathering Jewels. 



cottage by the sea, saved her own son from shipwreck. The 
Talisman's motto ought to be ours : 

" Be watchful, be ready, for shipwreck prepare, 
Keep an eye on the life-boat, but never despair ! " 

All along our coast the Government has built massive and 
strong light-houses to guide and warn the tempest-tossed mar- 
iner. The passage may have been hazardous to many a 
staunch ship and brave crew, occasioned by constant exposure 
to a multiplicity of dangers seen and unseen. Who can tell 
of the deep anxiety of the gloomy days and nights they spent 
waiting and watching, while many a keen blast has mournfully 
whistled through the shrouds, and many a billow has threatened 
to engulf their bark ; but how cheering is yonder light stream- 
ing forth amid the densest darkness. It speaks with trumpet- 
tongue to the bewildered navigator, and says, " This is the course, 
steer ye by it." How refreshing the sight. How assuring those 
bright beams that quiver over the perilous sea. Clouds and 
wind must not affright, for the gladsome welcome light of ex- 
ample interposes between us and disappointment and despair. 
" Ye are the light of the world," said Jesus. It is by beholding 
the lights that once shone on earth, that are now shining as the 
stars for ever and ever in heaven, that we, seeing their good 
works do glorify our Father in Heaven. 

How many, alas ! are utterly unconscious of the power of -a 
godly example ; it is only prayerful reflection upon it that 
rivets the connecting link between earth and heaven. Endear- 
ing attachments are formed and gradually, eternally perpetu- 
ated, strengthened by constant companionship. It is then we 
become truer-hearted, more gentle, more generous, and more 
affectionate. Exquisitely rounded Christian character is only 
thus obtained. Our hearts, and glad, willing service ought to 
be laid on the same altar as our humble offering, in proof of the 
profit and pleasure that we have experienced in reviewing the 



Conclusion. 



281 



career of those great examples worthy of study and imitation. 
This 'is the only explanation we can give for penning this 
memorial. Our hearts were deeply stirred by the words uttered 
with the dying breath of Mrs. Knowles, when she said to me, 
" Preach the Gospel Uxcolored ;" I want to recognize their 
importance as synonymous with Paul's exhortation to Timothy, 
" Preach the Word." Yes, dear reader, this is the sword of the 
Spirit, which is the "Word of God, and it is quick and powerful. 
We must wield it earnestly and bravely in the great conflict of 
life, constantly reiterating the Bible woman's dying words : 

" MY DAY IS SHORT, I MUST FINISH MY WORK ! " 

In perusing these memoirs, we ask, Who can read the fore- 
going correspondence and record of God's goodness to His 
saints, and through them to perishing souls, promiscuously 
scattered among all classes, and creeds, and colors, Jews and 
Gentiles alike, without feelings of unfeigned gratitude to God 
for raising up two such worthy persons to adorn k, the doctrine 
of God, our Saviour ? " 

Our earnest prayer is, that the Holy Spirit will not allow to 
pass unobserved such lives of usefulness and self-sacrifice, with- 
out awakening a deeper interest in the lapsed masses of the 
lower part of this city. 

We sincerely trust, also, that the publication and perusal of this 
humble effort to glorify God by perpetuating the memory of the 
loved ones so fondly cherished shall not be all in vain, and fall 
on the heart as a dead letter, kk like the wind that passes over the 
rock, leaving it harder than before." Mr. D. L. Moody once 
said, " I never saw a man who was aiming to do the best work, 
but there could be some improvement ; I never did anything in 
my life that I didn't think I could have done better, and I have 
often upbraided myself that I had not done better. But to sit 
down and find fault with other people when we are doing noth- 
ing ourselves is all wrong, and is the opposite of holy, patient, 



282 Gathering Jewels. 



divine love." May we rather be of that number concerning 
whom it is said, " Blessed are those servants, who, when their 
Lord shall come, He will find watching/' 

The sunset of life will come sooner or later, " Let us, then, 
give earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at 
any time we should let them slip." Especially let us consider 
the importance of Mrs. Knowles's final farewell exhortation : 
"Be kind, gentle, and patient. Be faithful, humble, meek, and con- 
stantly keep at the Master s feet until He calls you up higher'' 
If we take heed to these dying words, we will be able easily to 
appropriate as our own the sweet solacing words in'the Song of 
Songs, " I sat under His shadow with great delight, and His 
fruit was sweet unto my taste. He brought me into His ban- 
queting house, and His banner over me was love." 

In bidding our readers adieu, I would, in conclusion, urge 
that they seriously reflect upon the significance of the Bible 
woman's last triumphant utterances: " Once I was young, now 
I am old, and have never been forsaken." 

Who to their reward will say them nay, 

In Heaven or on Earth: 
Brave Pilgrims of Israel, pass'd away — 

We till now ne'er knew your worth ! 
Go ! write out their lives on leaves of gold, 

With characters of love, 
Let the future know, when we are cold, 

Of our loved ones gone above. 



